Let the Storm Rage On
by RebelPrince204
Summary: Elsa and Anna travel to the Southern Isles for Hans's trial, but schemes from Arendelle's nobles who lost from Elsa's decisions to block trade, the brutal Duke of Weselton, Hans's just as ruthless brothers, and a cursed sorceress determined to get her revenge threaten to destroy both Arendelle and the Southern Isles.
1. Royal Plotting

_Clear skies. _Several days of a journey by ship, and the skies never changed from their cloudless blue. Hans looked down at the water and saw only the gentlest of waves pushing away as the elegant brow of the _Sirocco _sliced through the water.

A prevailing westerly would make great time. Indeed, this was every trading merchant's dream weather, the kind they'd be on their knees giving praises to the gods. Yes, in all of the times Hans had sailed, he knew this was the best weather he'd ever experienced on the open sea.

_Figures. _He looked back at the sailors and other deckhands, who eyed him warily whenever he met their gaze. He was a prisoner, and everyone knew it. There was no sense shackling him at this point, he had nowhere to run to except an early grave.

_So close. I almost had it. _For a plan that had to be revised on the fly, Hans had to admit much of it had worked to his advantage. With so many unknowns like Queen Elsa's strange sorcery, and the determined little upstart Anna, the fact that the plan held together so well was astounding.

But no sense dwelling on it too much: He'd be returning home soon enough, and the freedom of the open sky and westerlies would be replaced by cold iron shackles and a prison cell to await trial. A nonsense formality if there ever was one. The real question would be hanging or beheading, and which of his brothers would beg the hardest to get the privilege of holding the axe.

_At least then, they couldn't pretend I was invisible. _

Might as well enjoy the moments he had left. Hans leaned over the railing and let the salt spray get on his face. Then he strolled across the deck, ignoring the continued stares of the sailors and guards. They knew he wouldn't jump into the ocean. He'd freeze long before he reached land. If he was going to die, it might as well be in a place that was warm.

During the next day, the winds still held calm, and land was spotted on the horizon. By midday, the harbor of Varisen, the Royal Capital of the Southern Isles, loomed closely. The guards found Hans quickly, and were eager to slap the shackles back on him. Both guards who did the job were not gently, and gleefully grinned the entire time.

_At least they let me keep my gloves. _He was escorted off the ship to the pier, where a line of guards flanked both ends, their swords drawn in strict discipline.

_A royal welcome? Not for me. Who's coming to greet their dear old brother? _The guards stood to either side of Hans.

A shout from one guard caused them all to draw their swords in military salute, as a finely dressed man in full military uniform walked out to the pier and took agonizing slow steps towards Hans. Once he reached him, he stood with ramrod straight posture, his face as blank as the Grand Statue of King Elias in the Harbor Square.

"Greetings, Sebastian." Hans took it on himself to speak first. As fourth brother born, Sebastian was nearly twice Hans's own age, married and with three children of his own. So far down the line of succession, he was free to choice his military career with the blessings of the family, and brought glory to the family with his skill on the battlefield. It was a good fit anyway, Sebastian was terrible at politics.

"You've certainly outdone yourself, Hans." His voice revealed no emotion, neither anger, fear, or even amusement. Sebastian was always the hardest of the brothers to read.

"Did you get stuck welcoming me back, or did you volunteer?"

"I volunteered, of course. Attempted regicide, a coup? Have you any idea what this means?"

"If you are concerned about trade, I remind you that edicts of kings and queens have been subverted in the name of money time and time again." That was part of the reason why Sebastian was better suited for the soldier's life. His only idea of diplomacy was a sharpened piece of steel.

"I don't care about gold. The honor of the Westergard family, and the Southern Isles, is at stake. Only your blood will satisfy that grudge."

"I haven't been tried yet, Sebastian. Do you seek to execute me without trial?"

"Don't hide behind our laws to protect yourself after disregarding them so blindly!" Sebastian pulled out his sword, letting the point rest still against Hans's throat. Summoning his sternest look, Hans glared at his older brother.

"Yes, there will be a trial. We might even show mercy and let you decide who gets to deliver the blow. Ask for me, I can make it clean." Sebastian put his sword away, and turned away from Hans.

_That was bracing. _He didn't expect to see one of his brothers so soon, but he was sure the rest would make their way. Hopefully, Hans would be in his prison cell before that point. Solid iron bars as a barrier and a free set of hands made those men less dangerous.

###

Duke Albert Weselton seethed as he looked over trade agreement after trade agreement. All of which would be null and void now that Queen Elsa forbid trade between Arendelle and Weselton.

Those years of the queen being a shut in had been a total blessing. Cultivated relationships through bribes, marriages, and even a few assassinations made wealth so easy to obtain. Now it was gone. Queen Elsa may have been young, but she was shrewd and thanks to those two blundering idiots who failed to assassinate her, now he was a pariah. While most of the nobles were focused on that wretch Hans and his lies about the Princess Anna, attention would turn to Weselton, and the Duke, once that little upstart was executed.

He looked again at the trade agreements. While he tailored his contracts to get the better end of every deal, nobles and merchant houses of Arendelle profited from trade with his country too. They would stand with him, if not in public, than in secret. Every day he wasted was a day of less money, and the possibility that, needing a new trade partner, his allies would jump ship. The Southern Isles would try to ingratiate themselves with Arendelle, prove that Hans's little coup began and ended with him. They'd follow Arendelle's lead and block Weselton trade, and then the trouble would really start.

_No, I have to do this before that little wretch is executed and he has all of the attention. _According to the laws of the Southern Isles, high justice and cases of treason required testimony, and in this case, Queen Elsa was alive to give it. She would have to travel to the Southern Isles. If anything happened to her there, even if the little wretch couldn't take the blame, relations between the Southern Isles and Arendelle would deteriorate. They might even go to war. And there was nothing better for business than a good war, except maybe a famine. But there'd be time for that later.

Albert began to write. Message after message, to be sent to his allies. Some in Arendelle, some in the Southern Isles. Queen Elsa still had trade meetings to attend in Arendelle before she went to the Isles, his carrier pigeons could reach his allies before she'd get there.

Unlike that wretch, Albert believed in sensible, well-thought plans, with no margin of error.


	2. A Fair Voyage

Prince Alexander couldn't stop sweating. It shouldn't have been this difficult, he knew how to do this. With contract and words, he'd bartered and shipped goods all over the known world. The Silver-Tongued Southerner, he'd been called. And now, he could barely string together a coherent sentence.

_Greetings to you, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. On behalf of the Southern Isles, I wish to apologize for Prince Hans, who happens to be my younger brother, attempting to murder you. _

_ Yeah, that will go over well, they'll only charge tariffs on half of our goods. _Alexander had only come to Arendelle to ensure the resuming of normal trade duties following that freak winter storm caused by Queen Elsa's sorcery. But a carrier pigeon had arrived the next day, with a missive directly from the King.

_Forge an alliance with the Queen of Arendelle. Bring her to Varisen. Don't return if you fail. _Was all the message said. Father never understood the nuances of diplomacy, he thought it could be started or stopped like some jousting tournament. But the letter was real enough, the mark of his father's signet ring told Alexander that.

At least he had leeway to do this has he pleased. Seventh son, and far down the line of succession, none of his older brothers ever really cared what he did, and diplomacy and trade usually took him far away from the Southern Isles, keeping him well out of reach of his scheming younger brothers.

Still, all that leeway, and the pressure, was not an easy thing to deal with. Alexander changed his clothes, expertly fixed his hair one more. Once he was certain his looks would last long enough until the meeting ended, he summoned up his best posture, and walked into the Queen's audience chamber.

With her long white hair and blue dress, Queen Elsa's appearance was as striking as the knowledge of her sorcery. But she sat in her throne, her head held high, her back firm against the rear of her throne. Sorceress or not, she looked every part a Queen.

"Your Royal Highness, Queen Elsa of Arendelle." A standard bow. "I greet you in the name of the Southern Isles."

"I bid you welcome." Queen Elsa's voice was calm, and, when Alexander arose from his bow, he didn't see the frost or other ice magic that emanated from her hands, as the rumors said happened when she was upset.

Alexander's throat tightened for a moment, still uncertain of what exactly to say.

"Tell me what happened to Hans." Fortunately, the Princess Anna, Queen Elsa's younger sister, seated in the throne beside her, took all of the guesswork out of it.

"He has been returned to the Southern Isles to stand trial for his crimes. His actions have brought great shame to the Westergard family." Alexander's eyes drifted back towards the Queen, and he could start seeing her armrest starting to freeze.

"His actions were his alone and he shall pay for them. It is my hope that we can resume the friendly relations our nations have engaged in since the time of our forefathers." Alexander kept his tone level, and the ice around the Queen didn't grow any larger.

"As I understand your customs, I will need to travel there and give testimony." As befitting a monarch, the Queen knew the practices of other countries.

"Yes, your Highness, but there's no need to discuss such unpleasantness at the moment. The trading ships..." Any discussion of Hans would sour these trade relations faster than bad milk. Before he could get there, the Queen rose her hand. Wisps of frost coalesced around her outstretched palm. Alexander immediately fell silent.

"I know you've come here to engage in trade. Surely you understand my...hesitancy, considering the last envoy of your nation. And his crimes are of great importance to me." Her eyes were as frigid as her sorcery, ad Alexander wasn't sure if the cold he felt in his spine was his nerves, or her power. Or both.

"Please, allow me a moment to discuss this with my sister." The Queen waved him away, and with a bow, Alexander left the room. He leaned against the wall by the door, slowed his breathing, and tried to listen to the Queen's conversation.

It was a talent that served him well growing up: Knowing the schemes of his brothers kept him safe from anything they might have plotted.

"What are you going to do, Elsa?" Princess Anna was childish and exuberant, it made her easy to here.

"There's a lot to do, Anna." Elsa was more subdued. "With no more trade from Weselton, we'll need someone who'll buy and sell to us."

"Is the Southern Isles so different from us?"

"Very, from what I understand."

"I wish I could see it." Anna was forlorn, but Alexander was intrigued. Weselton was a rival nation, and many a Southern Isles merchant ran afoul of "privateers", commissioned by the Duke most likely, unfortunately unable to be proven. They controlled the Velvet Road heading eastward. But the Southern Isles, privateers aside, had a good handle on the sea lanes. It would take an alliance between their nations, else Arendelle's citizenry would suffer. Alexander nearly jumped for joy at his good fortune.

_Play it cool. Don't reveal your upper hand. _The only other tidbit in the conversation worth listening to was that Elsa had to meet with the nobles and the Merchant's Guild.

_That'll take time, getting stodgy fools on board. And if the Queen is distracted by this and Hans's trial, it could be weeks before trade is resumed. Father will assume I've failed. No, that can't be. I...at least need a show. _Alexander was lost in thought as the door opened and the guards bid him return.

He bowed again.

"Your offer of trade interests me greatly. But there is much to be done with trade, and there is the matter of Prince Hans. It will take time."

_Time I don't have. _"Perhaps I may propose a solution? While the Queen handles business here, perhaps the Princess Anna could travel to the Isles as your representative."

Princess Anna's face brightened, and her smile went wide. Clearly unused to negotiations, she wore her heart on her sleeve.

"That is...there must be some other solution..." The Queen was far more recalcitrant.

"Elsa!" The younger Princess continued to make her wishes plan.

"Her Highness Anna will not come to harm in my care." Alexander took a step forward.

"Be that as it may, she is my only family." The Queen looked at her sister. Alexander watched the silent tableau of their faces. The Queen had a fierce gaze, but a very slight frown. The Princess's eyes were wide, pleading.

"Very well. You should see more of the world."

"I'll prepare my best ship. We'll set sail tomorrow, the winds are in our favor." Alexander bowed again. For a plan he cobbled together on the fly, it worked out pretty well.

_Of course, when you can't fail, there's lots of things you can do. _The letter from his father remained safely in his pocket. Why the man wanted an alliance like this was beyond odd, but not the first near-impossible request. The man believed in the divine right to rule, and such divinity extended to his edicts. Perhaps he knew about Weselton already, and was simply desperate.

Or there was more information that couldn't be sent by pigeon.

* * *

The sea was so beautiful, Anna would have slept outside if she could. Every dip and rise of the waves made her heart swell. Alexander, the prince of the Southern Isles, accompanied her most of the time, telling her story after story of all the places he had visited. Books had told her many things, but the stories left out so much. In Weselton, people would jump off cliffs with large things he called "gliders" and they'd sail to the ground on the wind. Far to the south, in the lands of Tamir, sand stretched as far as the eye could see, where salt and water were more valuable than any gold. The stories were really interesting, but Anna knew from her time with Hans that people could tell her lots of things that weren't true.

Whenever she asked him about the Southern Isles, though, he never answered her.

"You'll be seeing it for yourself. You'll know the story better than I can tell it. Plus, it's my home, I'm sure my opinion will be colored massively."

"You sound like you haven't been home in forever." He always looked over the horizon when he said that.

"I am away from the Isles most of the time, I guess it could be said that way. The shipping lanes are a far kinder home to me."

"What does that mean?"  
"Oh, nothing." Alexander looked away from her. "I've just traveled so much I don't consider the palace home anymore. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He walked towards the front of the ship, the bow it was called, and started looking through a spyglass on the horizon.

"We're almost there." He handed the spyglass to her, and she looked out, and started to make out a rather dark-looking gray castle on a large sheer cliff.

"Is that the palace?" No wonder he didn't consider it home, it was so foreboding, Anna thought a dragon could live there.

"No, that's just the northernmost island, the boundary of our territory. That is Stormwrack Keep, we won't be going there."

"What is it?" Anna tilted her head.

"We'll be at the Capital before nightfall. Why don't I tell you about the warrior women of Eastwick? I'm still not sure how we made it out of that one." Alexander didn't answer again, but Anna saw him wave some complicated hand motions to a few of the ship's crew, and the ship steered, taking it further away from that castle.

It may have been creepy looking, but it was just a building. A superstition? Probably more. But Anna knew he wouldn't tell her.

* * *

Richelle could see the ship heading away from the island, but not diverting it's course too much. Looking through her spyglass, she could see the symbols on it's sails. A royal ship of the Southern Isles. One of the many prissy princes.

_Pfff. _It made her blood boil just seeing the ship move without any difficulty. How interesting it would be if a storm came, and sent all of those pathetic souls down to the depths where they belonged. How beautiful it would be to watch it tossed about and destroyed, or a bolt of lightning setting the thing ablaze.

But there was nothing she could do about it. She spit a curse at the ship, then headed back towards the courtyard. Stormwatch Keep, they called this place. The peasants called it cursed, the nobility considered it a blight, but none possessed the bravery to come and destroy it.

_How I wish they would. _Richelle relished the thought of them coming like lambs to the slaughter.

"There you are, Richelle." The courtyard was not empty. One other occupant lived in Stormwatch Keep aside from Richelle, and she'd been here ever since Richelle was exiled to this wretched place.

"Watching a ship. For a second, I hoped we'd have company. It's boring hunting nothing but wildlife."

"That may change soon." The woman was reading a piece of parchment. Richelle did not know the woman's name, she had said to call her whatever she wanted. Richelle had settled on The Crone, since she looked positively ancient. The Crone had laughed when she called her that, and said it was as good a name as any.

"Change? What do you mean?"

"Read and see." The Crone handed the parchment to Richelle, who could see nothing but black symbols.

"Oh that's right, you're illiterate. How sad of you. Well, I suppose I'll have to tell you. This is a letter from a fellow who wishes a war." The Crone leaned against the wall.

"War?" Richelle rubbed her hands together. "That's my language."

"That ship you watched, the royal envoy, it carries the Crown Princess of Arendelle. The youngest prince of the South tried to assassinate Arendelle's Queen, and now stands trial for his failures, a trial the Queen will soon attend. If...something...were to happen to either of them in Varisen, the peace between those nations is fragile. War will be the only solution."

"As if I need an excuse to slaughter those Southern wretches." Richelle balled her hands into fists.

"You've stoked your rage long enough, learned my lessons well, and you will sate your revenge on those royal Princes, and make that insufferable King pay." And for the first time, Richelle saw The Crone smile.

Richelle would not deny the power inside her any longer. She gripped the parchment in her hands, and it burst into flames through nothing but her touch and will. As it turned to ash, she imagined it was the face of a Southern prince, she didn't care which one, slowly withering to nothing. No less than they deserved.

She was Richelle the Bloody, the Witch of Dark Flames. She would no longer be denied.


	3. Anna and the Prince

The prison cell was nothing like his own bedroom upstairs in the palace, but it was dry, and the oppressive heat of the day was muted by the stone walls.

_Three stars, as far as prisons go. Could have done without the frisking and seizing of everything I had. At least they let me keep my gloves. _More to the point, Hans knew he wouldn't be bothered down here, he hoped. Maybe one of his other brothers would come to gloat before the execution.

Indeed, the same day he was thrown into the prison, Hans could hear a massive calamity outside his door, and, after a few loud moments of the locks on the cell door opening, in stepped Prince Ferdinand, third in line to the thrown, and overall, probably the biggest jerk of all the brothers. It was he who led the game that Hans was invisible so long ago, and he stuck with it the longest.

_It should have been you who was invisible, your face looks like you can cut meat on it, and you look older than Father. _

"Hello brother." He always started any conversation pleasantly. Hans didn't deign to reply.

"Now, now, is that any way to treat your older brother. I didn't come here to talk about executions and regicide and all that. I'm certain you've had your fill of it from Sebastian."

"He volunteered to execute me. You know how much he loves his weapons."

"You know I'm not like him at all. In fact, I came here to offer you a kindness." Ferdinand smiled, but Hans knew better than to trust it.

"Going to let me take a bath so I'm not rosy before the public execution?"

"Oh, Hans. I'm talking about the Firedancing Festival."

"Right, that is about to go on now." Hans didn't particularly care for the festival. It was entertaining as a child, and some of the dancers there were quite breathtaking and lovely. But it just an event, a celebration. All it did was distract the peasants: Hans had no need for that now.

"I planned to let you attend. Under guard, and with a mask on, but you could at least go out and have fun."

"That's the bait, Ferdinand, where's the hook. What is your angle?"

"Angle? Brother, I'm hurt. You're about to die for your crimes, Hans, I'm not suggesting forgiveness. I just wanted you to go to the gods with at least a few good final memories."

"You don't believe in the gods." Ferdinand only believed in his own power and manipulations, and undertook nothing that wouldn't benefit him in the end.

"Fine, very well. Father is conflicted about your treason. He knows what he must do, but I have seen him at night, talking to Mother's portrait, asking her for guidance. Something like this would give him some peace. Father loves the Festival, and if I make this one special for him, he will probably name me as his successor."

"How nice. I tried to get a throne on my own. Don't expect any sympathy from me." Hans turned away from Ferdinand. A second later, the elder prince left without a word.

_Who does he think he's fooling? _Ferdinand admitted his story far too easily, so it was as big a lie as the first one of "giving him good memories." There was a plot involved, something was going to go down at the Festival. Something to discredit his brothers, push Ferdinand up the line of succession? An assassination, even? He was getting bolder, family was supposed to be taboo.

At this point, what did it matter what it was. Nothing sort of a war or a plague would get him out of prison.

Hans lay back down on the bed, and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

Once Alexander had brought her to her guest room, Anna wasted no time exploring the palace. Her time away from home, everything was as foreign as the day of Elsa's coronation. Only this time, she hoped it wouldn't end with revelations like that day did.

For all it's unusual architecture, though, the palace of the Southern Isles operated much like the one in Arendelle. There were the same maids who cleaned, the same guards patrolling the hallways, the same kitchens, although this one was significantly busier. But, there were thirteen princes in this castle.

_Including Hans. _Her mind drifted to Hans more than she wanted it to. Why was she still thinking about him. He was away in the dungeon and wouldn't hurt anyone else or scheme for thrones or anything like that.

How could she have fallen for that? Too many stories of love at first sight, too much wanting it for herself. She'd watched her childhood go away with no close friends or meaningful contact at all, it was the first time someone actually cared.

Anna must have been thinking about it and walking for a long time, for when she looked up, she was in no part of the castle she'd ever seen before. It was starting to get dark, and she was getting hungry.

There was a door at the end of the hall, maybe someone in there could point out where she should go.

The door was open, but unfortunately, the room inside was empty, a very sparsely decorated bedroom. Her own guest room was far more opulent, perhaps it belonged to one of the many princes: Elsa always said the guest rooms needed to look impressive for anyone who might be staying.

Anna stepped inside, but she didn't see anything unusual until she was inside the room, then turned to face the door. Right next to the doorframe was a small portrait of Hans, slightly younger than he was when she knew him, on top of that horse of his, Sitron.

_Must be his room. _ Who else would have a picture of him? Anna started to walk back towards the door, but she felt something tug on her as she moved.

Her dress had gotten caught on a slightly loose floorboard. She bent down in order in remove it, and her tuggings pulled the board even further, rendering it almost completely ajar.

_Oh no! _Her time out of the castle, and she nearly ripped up someone else's floor.

_Maybe I can push it back. _She pulled it out, didn't she? As she carefully tried to push the board down, she noticed that, underneath of it, a leather-bound book was hidden. She pulled it out and opened it, and quickly realized she was looking at Hans's journal.

She shut it quickly. She knew what he did and planned to do well enough. In fact, if the palace was close enough to the ocean, she would have liked to throw it as far as she could into the waves. But now, it would just do to put it back where she found it.

As she bent down to put the book back, she could hear a whisper in her head, almost as if the book was talking to her. As much as she wanted to enjoy this trip, she kept thinking about Hans.

_It might be useful for that trial too. If it is, Elsa won't have to do as much. She doesn't need anymore stress. _She sat down at his writing desk, and opened the journal again.

The book opened to a page about halfway through. This page was very well worn, almost like some of her books at home, with the passages she read over and over again, as if the book opened itself to those pages for her. So this page was one Hans re-read? It was that important to him?

_I can still see the smoldering embers, even from the palace. Even the sky seems to be ablaze, providing me enough light to write, and enough heat that even this autumn weather is sweltering. The Witch of Dark Flames lives up to her title. The chaos is all in the streets below, the palace is utterly untouched, and my father and those of my brothers still here are pretending nothing is going on. When a servant worried aloud about her family in the ruins below, Sebastian had her sent to the dungeon for "insurrection". Before they took her, she grabbed me by the arms._

_ "Please sir, my son, he's all I have left in the world. He's only a child!" Then Harold kicked her in the face, yelling that, even to the runt of the litter, she will know her place in speaking to royals._

_ Runt! He's only older than me by a year, and that's all he can hold over me, he's lost every horse race and swordfight we've ever had. I went out of the palace to find the little kid, just to prove I could. How stupid of me, I had no idea where to begin searching. What I did see, however, were bodies in the streets, charred and unidentifable from the fires. People were panicking and screaming, and some opportunistic souls thought it would be the best time to steal from each other. _

_ An old stone inn had survived the carnage well, and was full of the sick and dying. Almost everyone, even those well enough to tend to the wounded, were injured themselves. I helped them, they were my people and that was what rulers are supposed to do. The wretches nearly fell over themselves when I did._

_ "You are a good man, Prince Hans. The first royal I've seen do anything for us." An old woman clasped my hands, they felt like leather. I could see the blood staining her clothes like a horrid dye. _

Anna was holding her breath as she continued to read the entry from the next day.

_ Father had his meeting with the nobles about smoke damage to their estates. Not important enough to involve the runt, so I went back to the inn. Many of the people I saw yesterday were dead. The old innkeeper told me that Lord Castelgard came into the inn looking for feed for his horses. He demanded grain from the people, and, when they resisted, a few were slain as an example._

_ Only for his horses. Horses can feed on grass and hay, but Lord Castelgard's prized ponies are more important. The old woman I talked to yesterday was among the slain. Reportedly, she cursed Castelgard before he crushed her beneath his boot._

_ I tried to mention it to Father, but he cared not. He cared more about the smell of the smoke through the halls. Ferdinand saw fit to mock me, Sebastian said there was more important things to worry about, and the rest resumed their invisibility game. Even grown men can resume their fancies. If I ran a kingdom, Lord Castelgard would be hanging from the gallows right now. It looks like, if anything is going to get done correctly, I'll have to do it myself._

The pages were dated six years ago, Hans would have been around Anna's own age then. As she read the pages, she remembered stories she heard from the court advisors, after Hans tried to kill Elsa. She said he had distributed Weselton's trade goods among the people, warm coats, blankets, food. He took care of the people while she was away.

Anna thought it was a show, just like his show of love. Maybe he needed to look normal, like Elsa did. Or maybe he thought it was the right thing to do.

It was right, Anna would have helped those people too, both in Arendelle, and in this story in the journal. But how could Hans do the right thing, know it was the right thing, then try to take over Arendelle?

The rest of the journal didn't contain anything about Elsa, or Arendelle. Anna put it back where she found it. Hans hid it, and probably for a reason. It wouldn't do well to be caught with it. She walked outside the bedroom, and saw a servant outside.

"Princess, I've been looking for you. Oh, you seem to have found Prince Hans's room. There's nothing in there for a lady like yourself." Anna didn't answer the servant, just followed as he led her to the dining room. While there, she was introduced to a number of Hans's brothers, some of which had been mentioned in his journal. Like Ferdinand, a much older man who invited Anna to a festival in two days. And Harold, the one who constantly mocked Hans. Harold was so squat and short, he could have passed for one of the trolls. He was all smiles and warm greetings, but Anna's skin crawled when he kissed her hand.

* * *

It was very late at night when Hans heard another tumult outside his cell door. He didn't get up from his pile of straw at first, whatever plot Ferdinand was going to cook up, he wanted no part in it. But instead of hard boots, he heard the gentle footfall of very soft shoes. An assassin? Were they so eager to get him killed they would dispense with formality of the trial?

He had no weapon, but he had his fists, and there was no way Hans would go down without a fight. He wasn't Harold, after all.

But it wasn't an assassin. Carefully shutting the door behind her was Princess Anna of Arendelle, that crazy little upstart who ruined all of his plans.

"What are you doing here?" He doubted strongly, whoever wanted him dead, would have sent Anna to do the job. He watched her face, and her frown deepen across her face. But in a minute, she shook her head and stared at him sternly.

"Your brother invited me, I'm going to the Firedancer Festival and I'm here for your trial." She didn't sound angry. Not yet, she would be soon enough.

"Yes, I suppose you would be involved. I hope you don't plan to say I tried to kill you."

"You tried to kill my sister! You left me to die!" She was scowling. Well, she always was emotional.

"And what would you have had me do? I couldn't just true love you in order to stop your freezing heart. I know, maybe I could've used fire sorcery to warm you. Oh, wait, I don't have that either. Your sister tried to kill you, not me."

Anna hesitated, and looked away. A low blow, but she shouldn't have thrown around accusations if she didn't want them thrown back into her face. "I wanted to see you before the trial. Elsa should be here in a few days."

"Really? Well, congratulations, you found me. Not that it was hard to find a prisoner in prison. Don't know why you want to talk to me, you're not the type of person to come to gloat."

"I read your journal." Her comment caught Hans by surprise, and his could feel his eyes go wide.

"How did you find that?" Hans had hollowed out that small space himself in the middle of the room, no one should have stumbled on it by searching.

"Accident, my dress got caught."

"Well, you certainly know how to blunder your way into things. A useful skill if you can figure out how to use it."

"I read the story about the inn and the old woman. That was so sad." Anna looked down at the ground.

"It happened years ago. It's simply history, now. I at least hope I told it well." Hans leaned against the wall. It had been years since he thought of that story.

"Why would you come to Arendelle to take over our kingdom? You had so many things you wanted to fix here."

"You read my journal, you saw how that went. No cares when the runt of the litter bleats, particularly when it's second nature to pretend the runt is invisible. And I couldn't very well murder my way through my brothers, that would be...very obvious. I could do my kind of good in Arendelle."

"Good?" Now Anna was upset again. "You tried to kill both me and my sister."

"I'll remind you my plan initially was never to kill either of you, and until you came back half-frozen, your death never even crossed my mind. As for your sister, well, I'll remind you that she cursed her kingdom with eternal winter, causing untold havoc to the harvest and the wildlife. You don't think that's a danger to the people of Arendelle, or anywhere? She didn't even know how to fix it and abandoned her responsibilities to live alone."

"She didn't want the kingdom, she wanted to leave it to us. She wouldn't have bothered you." Anna glared at him again.

"Until her next berserk episode turned us all into snowmen. She defied the laws of nature from a sisterly spat. What would happen if there was a riot, or a famine. We'd be buried in snow up to our eyebrows. It wasn't personal, what I did, it never was. I couldn't call myself a proper ruler with something like that waiting to strike the people, even if Elsa caused it by accident. Whatever I have done, Anna, I did it to be a good ruler. And sometimes, you have to make decisions no one else can."

Anna was quiet for the longest time.

"Everyone would be a danger to you. The same things you said about Elsa, you'd say about anyone. You say it's a price to pay, I think you just took the easy way out."

"Easy?" Hans found himself annoyed. This little twit had no idea what it meant to run a kingdom. She presumed to know better than him?

"My sister is not good with people. She doesn't always make the right decisions. But she has people beside her who help her, people with strengths she doesn't have. Because they all want the same thing, what's best for us, and the people."

"You're as naïve as ever, Anna. In fact, you're going to the Firedancing Festival in two days. Was it Ferdinand who invited you?"

"Y-yes."

"He's got some plot cooked up. I don't know what it is, but he was trying to set me up to take a fall for it. He just might do the same to you if you follow his plans. See for yourself, everyone's only out for themselves. At the very least, what I want would benefit the many."

No further words were exchanged as Anna left the prison.


	4. The Assassin Festival

Anna didn't know what to expect at the Firedancing Festival, but the key word in that sentence was "festival." She expected, at least, it would be fun. There was a lot of music as the sun was going down, and many attendants lit torches around a large open stage.

"It really gets started once the sun goes down." Ferdinand volunteered to guide her and show her the festival. While Anna would have preferred Alexander, whom she knew pretty well, he had told her he would be spending the festival with his wife.

_How cute. _With everything that happened with Hans, it almost made Anna forget that there were people who loved each other. She had found it odder that Ferdinand was not married: He looked almost as old as Anna remembered her parents were. But it would be rude to ask such a question, and only asked him questions about the festival.

When the sun went down, fires and torches started flaring. A large dance around a bonfire started, and women with long veils danced around the fire.

"Is the dancing not wonderful, Princess Anna?" Ferdinand was still beside her, occasionally catching sidelong glances at a man seated upon a large dais. With his large crown and several guards standing beside him, he could only be King Elias, Hans's father.

The dancers were quite talented, but they didn't have the same effect on Anna as they did many of the men in the crowd.

The women kept dancing around the fire to the music, until all of a sudden, the music stopped, the women turned, and threw their veils into the fire, causing it to erupt into the sky in a billow of flame.

King Elias stood up. "It is my pleasure to serve the Southern Isles as it's King, and to begin this Firedancing Festival! Let us eat, drink, and dance, and always remember the pride of our great Kingdom. It is my privilege to welcome our esteemed guest, Princess Anna of Arendelle. Let's show her how the Southern Isles treats it's royal partners!" Despite being very old, the King was extremely energetic, and the crowd returned with cheers.

The women all resumed their dance, and Ferdinand resumed himself by Anna's side, offering her food and drink.

"It's good you're taking care of our guest. But the Princess is not just a spectator, no? I can see it in her eyes, she wishes to dance." A young man, wearing a domino mask across his eyes strode up to both of them.

"Ah, Conrad. I imagine flailing and frittering about would be best left in your hands." Anna could hear Ferdinand's voice drop as the other young man approached."

"You're just jealous because any woman that looks at you has money in her mind more than love." A wry smile stretched across the younger man's face. He then turned to Anna

"Greetings Princess Anna. I am Prince Conrad, tenth son of our King Elias. If I may, I'd like to have the pleasure of a dance." He offered his hand to her. White gloves, just like Hans.

She shook her head for a second, curtsied, and took his hand. Anna loved dancing, but the festival's energetic flair was something she was completely unused to the formal balls like at Elsa's coronation. Not that she was complaining, it was great fun, and Conrad was an incredible teacher.

But as she moved to the rhythm, she could hear Hans's warning in her head.

_Something is going to go down at the festival. _If he was going to give dire warnings, he could have at least been specific.

"You keep up well." Conrad looked exhausted after their last dance, and his face shown with sweat around his mask. "Or maybe I'm just starting to feel my age."

"You aren't old." Hans was barely older than Elsa, and if Conrad was 10th, he couldn't be much further off.

"You're too kind." Conrad drank a glass of wine. "But perhaps we could go for a walk. Let me rest a little."

Part of Anna wondered if it would be cheating, Kristoff may not approve of her walking with another man. But it was completely harmless: Anna had no interest in grabbing a boyfriend, she learned her lesson the first time. She was just going on a walk. It would have been no different if Conrad was a woman.

The Palace grounds were nice, and Anna chatted with Conrad pleasantly. He seemed a bit distracted, though, he kept looking around as if there were others nearby, but Anna didn't see anyone.

Conrad didn't talk much, and when he did, it was usually to ask Anna questions.

"They say listening is the first step to wisdom. Plus, I'm really out of practice when it comes to talking about myself."

"Why, did your older brothers pretend you were invisible?"

"No, they liked to pretend I was a training dummy. They'd stuff my clothes full of straw, tie me to a post, and practice effective punching techniques and takedowns. And the training dummy aren't supposed to talk or fight back, or he get straw stuffed in his mouth. If it doesn't make sense to you, that's what I thought."

"Ohh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I learned from it." Conrad had a very similar smile to Hans, and he talked in much the same way, but significantly less silly. Hans's journal had told Anna his story about his brothers pretending he was invisible was true, it must have been pretty terrible growing up younger than those older brothers.

Anna was about to ask him another question about his brothers, when Conrad suddenly held up his hand and took a step forward.

"Is something wrong?"

"Maybe. We're not alone." He shifted his weight backward into a defensive stance, and Anna just looked around. Was this what Hans meant?

She didn't have much time to think. From off to the right, she could hear the rustle of movement, someone running really fast. And then she saw him, a man covered all in black, dashing towards the two of them. Conrad wasted no time and stepped between her and the figure.

"What are you doing slinking around at night?" Conrad spoke defiantly. The shadowy figure did not respond, and instead, drew a small knife from his belt.

"Is that how this is going to be. I don't know what you're planning, assassin, but you won't be getting away with anything against me or the Princess Anna. Stay back, Princess, I'll handle this." He pulled out his own knife. After a tense few seconds, the man in black lunged forward. The attack went wide, and Conrad rushed him with his shoulder, knocking the man down and causing him to drop his weapon, which bounced towards Anna's feet harmlessly.

"Who are you?" Conrad kept his attention on the man, who bolted. Anna bent down to pick up the weapon the man was holding, in case he tried to make a move for it.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Conrad was looking away from her, maybe trying to see where that man ran off to.

"Who was that man?" Anna asked.

"I don't know. He looked like he was after me. Or you, perhaps. Come on, let's back to everyone else. We can talk about it later, it's better right now we're not alone."

Anna followed him. As she walked, she took another look at the knife she picked up. It was very light, not that she expected one to be heavy, but it felt like she was holding a simple butter knife.

It didn't look like one, it looked like the daggers she saw her guards keep for backup weapons. When she had held one of them before, it was much heavier than this.

Anna touched the point of the weapon. It wasn't even that sharp. She pushed it against her finger, and it didn't even puncture her skin.

So this was a fake weapon? Why would someone attack them with a fake weapon?

Her mind drifted back to what Hans said. Was that what he meant? This was hardly a danger worth warning about.

Or...was it a show, for her benefit? Like Hans's kindness and almost silly nature disguising the monster that lie beneath.

Anna hid the weapon in the folds of her dress. Ferdinand was the one Hans had mentioned had a plot cooked up, but it was Conrad who invited her to take a walk with him. He was acting rather odd. Or...was he expecting a move too?

If she showed the weapon to Conrad, he might have had a lead on it. But if he was the one who orchestrated this plot, showing him would reveal she knew it was fake. Who could she trust to find out more details?

* * *

"Beggin' your pardon, Queen Elsa, but the winds just ain't in our favor. We're behind captain from Anna's ship had reported great time, and she was supposedly enjoying herself. But Elsa, unfortunately didn't have such luck.

"It's all right." She could hardly blame him for the wind.

"Pardons, m'queen. But perhaps yer magics could move us? I'm not minding the cold long as it gets us to the Southern Isles."

"Unless you want the ship to be frozen in ice and we walk left him to walk out on deck." It was a beautiful evening, the aurora was in full bloom, dancing across the sky. On nights like these, Anna would have waken her up to play with her sorcery. But that was a long time ago.

_I wonder if the aurora can be seen from the Southern Isles. _Probably not, it went away the further south one went.

Elsa strolled along the deck, hoping Anna was having a good time. It couldn't be any worse than Elsa's past few days, arguing with nobles about trade deals. While there were a few who enjoyed the prospect of trading with the Southern Isles, many of the old nobility, who made their fortunes trading with Weselton, weren't as pleased. Even they were exploited by Weselton's privateers and "missing" shipments, but that scheming Duke did manage to deliver merchandise, and gold, enough that quite a number would be upset when it dried up.

A few footsteps behind her caused Elsa to turn around, wondering if the Captain had another question of her. However, that wasn't the case. She turned to see a man creeping up toward her, a sword in his outstretched hand.

Reflexively, Elsa jumped backward, and, with a flick of her wrist, made an ice spike on the ground, putting a small barrier between the two of them. .

"What are you!" She shouted not to ask a question of the figure, but to rouse the rest of the crew.

"Alarm!" A shout from the bunks of the crew.

"Curses!" The man dropped the sword and started to run. Where would he go? This was a ship, there was no place he could hide.

_Maybe he's planning to disappear in a crowd of people, blend in as a crewman. He would have had to been here on the ship after we left. _

Elsa triggered her magic again, trying to freeze the man in place. The man slipped on the ice and collided with the railing. There was enough light that Elsa could watch his sword fly out of his grasp, and splash into the sea. With the danger now gone, Elsa hurried over to him.

"Who are you." demanded.

The man didn't even look at her, instead, he looked over the sea below, and quickly leaped over the railing.

"Wait!" Elsa moved quickly and grabbed him with her free hand, catching his fingers.

"Who put you up to this?" She demanded.

"Goodbye, Queen Elsa!" The man used his feet to push his body away. Elsa's hand was caught on a ring the man was wearing, and it slipped off his finger, giving the man freedom to disappear into the black sea.

The water was too cold for anyone to stay in it for long. Elsa scanned, hoping to see signs of disturbed water, but couldn't make anything out.

"Your Highness!" The Captain, and several men with swords flanking him, ran over to her. Elsa pointed over the edge, and the man took over, instructing his guards to watch her.

Elsa returned to her private cabin, insisting the guards remained stationed outside. She trusted the soldiers, but the crew were not men she was familiar with, and couldn't risk that the assassin, who went to his grave rather then risk exposure, had a partner of some kind.

Elsa realized she was still holding the man's ring, and she squinted, and looked at it in the light. It was a signet ring, definitely, she could see a coat of arms she did not recognize carved into a gem set into the bezel. Whoever that assassin was, he was a very wealthy man.

Elsa hoped the wind would get more favorable tomorrow. Anyone willing to go after might go after Anna too. Her worry caused frost to form on the ring.


	5. Pull Down the Curtain

If it had been a less frantic time, Elsa might have enjoyed Varisen, and it's palace. Right now, though, all that mattered was finding Anna, and making sure she was safe. Even before the formalities were dispensed with, when she was being greeted by Ferdinand, an older Prince of the isles, she separated from her dignitaries quickly to find her sister.

Fortunately, she wasn't that difficult to find, she was sound asleep in her guest room.

_She never did do mornings well. _Elsa thought about waking her, but decided against it, and instead, made sure her own handpicked guards were stationed outside. Then, she took out the signet ring she had found from the assassin on the boat. Looking at it in the light made the crest easier to see, but she couldn't pick out who it belonged to.

Perhaps the noise reached her, for Anna stirred not long after Elsa entered.

"Oh, Elsa!" She smiled, and her face sparkled.

"Good morning. Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay, I'm glad you're here, Elsa. I...need to talk to you." Anna recounted a story that happened at a festival two days ago. While off on a walk away from the festival with one of Hans's older brothers, the both of them were attacked by a man brandishing a fake weapon.

Anna had kept it so Elsa could see it, and it was definitely a stage prop. The Prince, Conrad she called him, hadn't stopped to look at the weapon afterwards, he simply brought her back to the festival. He was looking into an "attack" and no more.

If Anna had disappeared completely during a big festival, it would have created a big scene, so what Conrad did was sensible, but Elsa couldn't figure out the purpose behind the attack in the first place. Why go through with something that obviously wasn't meant to succeed? Anna was already on her guard because of everything involving Hans, spooking her further wouldn't do anything.

Was it meant to involve the man, Conrad? If all of the princes here were as ruthless as Hans, it could be, but...why attack him with a fake weapon? Plus, Anna was the one leading the walk through the grounds; how did that guy know where to find them: The palace grounds weren't small enough to just look through the whole thing and find them randomly.

There was a lot she didn't know, and that made things more dangerous than the fake attack actually was. Plots and intrigue were second nature to scheming nobles, but they were easy to deal with once you found out what the plotter was after: Money, power, the list went on. Once that was known, schemes could be avoided, or dealt with.

She didn't know these princes, but the scheme was all theatrics, and theatrics were not done as a waste.

"Did that prince, umm...Conrad, did he take you to the festival, say anything odd?" Elsa began to pace around the room.

"No, he only danced with me there. It was another one who invited me, umm, Ferdinand. He asked me to go. He was the one I was warned about."

"Wait, warned!" Elsa stopped in her tracks. "Someone warned you this would happen."

"Not...not about this, something else, and, Elsa, don't be mad, but...I went and...saw Hans in the prison." Anna fumbled with her words as if she'd been discovered stealing an entire plate of chocolate.

"You...why would you do that!" Even though her powers made her unable to feel cold, she still managed to get a chill when Anna said that.

"I'm sorry, I just...it's a really long story." Elsa could tell Anna didn't want to answer it further. For now, Elsa let it go: There was no way Hans could have had anything to do with what happened on the ship, and there was no way he could make a plan on the festival from the prison, at least not to this sort of precision. Besides, what would Hans get out of that? He wanted the throne of Arendelle, not some petty revenge scheme.

"Still, Anna, I don't know what's going on, so let's just make this trade deal and go home. No doubt nobles looking for money and influence will jump to make the deals for us after this point." A few of them had even come with her, and they would deal with all of the pretense and foppery she'd avoided her whole life. There was profit in it, after all.

Anna agreed, thankfully.

"You took longer than me to get here. Was it more difficult?" Anna changed the subject, and Elsa tried to keep her face as stoic as possible.

"Just the wind, we didn't have its favor like you did." Elsa nodded to her. Anna smiled back. Elsa started to think about the ring, and wondered if it was wrong that she wasn't telling Anna. She would, later. She was already aware something was wrong, the last thing she needed to be was more worried.

Anna might not have to worry about unleashing an eternal winter when she was upset, but that didn't mean it was okay to worry her.

* * *

Elsa was hiding something. That really wasn't anything new, but she was hiding something recently. But Anna couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Elsa had said the fake weapon thing was a plot, but couldn't figure out what it meant. Neither could Anna, and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, the only person who she knew could help her with it was Hans. Perhaps Alexander, the trader she came here with, could help her, but she not only couldn't find him, but she hadn't seen him since before the festival. She had no idea if he knew anything about it.

She wanted to put it out of her mind, but couldn't. The next day, she resolved to find Alexander, and, once that didn't work, she went to the basement to see Hans.

"Oh, look, you're back. If you the prison cell so much, all you have to do is commit a crime and get caught. It's pretty easy."

"Something did happen at the festival, you were right."

"Haha. Ferdinand. If Anna could figure out your plots with the vaguest of warnings, what could someone who knows what they are doing do? So what, you came here to thank me? "Come on, say it."

"I don't think what happened is what you think happened." Hans was disinterested in her until Anna said this line, when he span around to face her."

"Oh?" Anna explained the story.

"That...actually doesn't sound like something Ferdinand would do. Hmm. Sounds like you're in the middle of a big mystery, isn't it?" He then lay back down on the straw.

"Who, who is it?"

"What do I care? I only told you the first time because of Ferdinand."

"Why? Revenge."

"In part." Hans shrugged. "But this other thing, this staged attack, it has nothing to do with me. I see no reason to get involved. Figure it out yourself. I learned how to do it younger than you."

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. She turned out of the cell, and left.

* * *

Ferdinand Westergard stood out on the balcony, having recently been introduced to Queen Elsa. She was quite lovely for someone so young, but she had those crazy ice powers. He didn't put much faith in all of the crazy tales: Guards and envoys could be as bad a weaving circle with their rumors.

But it didn't matter anyway. Loveliness, magic, or whatever Queen Elsa had, it wouldn't be a bother much longer. Duke Albert Weselton had put together an ambitious plan, and, if it had been anyone else, Ferdinand would have considered it destined to failure.

But Weselton knew how to deliver, and Ferdinand played his part well. It was easy to steal Father's signet ring to trick Alexander into bringing Arendelle's royalty here. It was a little more difficult to convince Father that he did do such a thing, but the man was over seventy and half-senile, so a little persistence paid off.

He didn't think Alexander would get both the Queen and the Princess, but that just made it better. While there would have to be a number of accidents among the princes to prevent a succession crisis, Alexander was just too valuable to lose. Now both royals were here in Arendelle. He didn't know which idiot tried to move ahead of schedule and attempted to assassinate the Queen on the ship, but fortunately, he paid the price for his mistake: He leapt overboard into the sea. Fortunately, the Queen couldn't link the plot yet.

And she wasn't meant to be assassinated yet anyway. It would then look like a coup in Arendelle, rather then an act that would start a war. This all had to be done correctly. There was no time for idiots messing up the plan for their own sense of profits.

He looked out over the city, and could see the western gates opening.

_Good. Just about time now. _Laurent, the eldest brother and Crown Prince to the throne, would be exiting for his horse ride over the plains, and the low-birthed rabble would be dogging him, problems about crop shortages and whatnot.

_It happens every time after the festival. The distraction wears off, and the people think the royals are their equals, and can be approached to solve their problems and to have their opinions heard._ If their opinions were meant to matter, they'd have been born noble and have the opportunity to voice them.

Laurent never paid them much heed, which was sensible, but he still gave them too much leeway by pretending to listen to them in the first place. He'd turn into Hans, who betrayed the dignity of his station to assist them. Forget trying to assassinate Queen Elsa, that was the real crime. Ruling over the rabble was the assistance nobility should provide, but Ferdinand could hardly expect the runt to understand.

The gates began to shut. That was the signal. Time to alert the second participant in this carefully staged plan. He had no idea how Weselton managed to get the help of...that one, and her bloodthirstiness bothered Ferdinand greatly. There would be no chance of a permanent alliance, and she might even need to be dealt with once her role was complete. One could collar a wild beast, but the beast never subsided.

But for now, she'd serve her purpose. Ferdinand sent the signal, then went back into the castle to deal with his next role.

* * *

_How beautiful it would be to see these forests burn. _The chirping birds and sound of the win through the leaves made Richelle itch. So much that was considered beautiful in the world was truly only beautiful when it burned.

But The Crone had insisted on destroying only what was necessary.

_Destroying what you want specifically is far more beautiful than destroying everything. _And the thought of completing her task did make Richelle smile. Whether the Crone was right or wrong, the Prince would not come here if he saw the wood on fire.

Richelle walked from the wood to the arranged meeting place, a field in a glade. Animals would normally water here, but Richelle often found most creatures would skitter away from her as she approached. Maybe they sensed the burning curse within her: Animals feared fire.

_So what. _Things like that interested The Crone, not her. She waited until she could hear the sound of hoofbeats, then she hid herself behind a rock outcropping.

A well-dressed older man galloped on horseback down the beaten path. Richelle had never seen him before, but, from information The Crone had given her, she knew this was Prince Laurent, who would succeed his father upon the father's death to the throne.

"Do you need a drink?" He spoke to the horse in pleasant tones, and took himself off the creature and led it over to a pond. The horse lapped up the water, and the Prince stepped away from the creature in order to eat a light midday meal.

_Now! _Richelle triggered several patches of grass near the horse to immolate in flame, spooking the creature, causing it to rear up in horror, then gallop away

"Kirse!" The Prince rushed after the horse. Richelle immediately caused a few more patches of grass near the Prince to burst into flames as well. As much as she wanted to, she could not burn him directly with her fire sorcery: The power was amazing, but among it's limitations were that she could never attack another person directly with it.

But that datty old Crone had her tricks, and knew ways around the curse. Fire created by her magic couldn't attack a person, nor could she use it on clothing or anything a person might be wearing or carrying. But the area around a person was fair game. And once the fire was created, it behaved like any other. Which meant a person could be surrounded by it, and burn to death just like they would if they were caught in a fire caused by a lightning bolt.

Richelle laughed as she stepped out from the rocks, dimming the flames with her thoughts. The Prince heard her and turned to face her.

"Who are you?" He asked, pulling out a sword. How cute, like she couldn't deal with a simple swordsman.

"You don't remember?" She triggered another flame. She could see remembrance, and fear, mix into the man's face.

"That's not possible. You can't be...The Witch of Dark Flames."

"How beautiful, you do remember."

"No, that's impossible!" The fear looked so delicious on his face, Richelle wanted to eat it. But he remembered the burning curse that ravaged his city so long ago, and remembered the fear it caused. What a wonderful final memory it would make for him.

Richelle immolated the grass all around him. It had been a dry few days, and the grass wouldn't need any extra help burning.

The man's screams were a delight. Once Richelle saw him fall the ground, she stopped the flames. She had wanted to reduce him to ashes, but The Crone said there must be enough of him left so that his body could be recognized.

The smell of the cooked flesh was wonderful. Finally, one of those Princes, the head Prince, in fact, was dead. She laughed as a cool breeze scattered the ashes of the grass around the plains. If he was alive, such a thing would cause him great pain.

If he was dead, then fine. Richelle went to the pond and took a drink. Revenge was satisfying, but it made for thirsty work.


	6. Regicide du Jour

"Where is Laurent?" King Elias asked to Ferdinand, who insisted on having afternoon tea with him. To spend time with him, he had said, and to make sure he took his tea per the doctor's orders.

_I might find myself in parts of the palace and not know how I got there, but I still see through you. _All of his sons were this way, and Elias had been on guard around his spawn for years, even keeping a knife under the table in case one made his treachery known.

"Loyal, but ruthless mercenary" was probably the kindest thing he could say about any of his children, and kind words about Ferdinand came rarely. He was ambitious, brutal, all the things Elias himself was when he was younger.

No matter how much the fits of delusion came, he could remember treachery. It was second nature, ever since that accident when Elias was a lad. Accident, truly, the Crown Prince insisted on real blades when he was fencing: Practice blades wouldn't be used in real combat so he'd be practicing with the wrong things. And in a fight with his little brother, his partner in crime, the sword just...slipped.

Definitely an accident, but accidents were useful. All Elias had to do was whisper a few doubts into the right ears, and bam. The secondboy of the family accused of murdering the firstboy, leaving little Elias the throne all to himself. Sixty years had passed since then, and he still remembered that feeling. He could feel that presence cloy over Ferdinand.

"He is out for his afternoon horse ride, Father." His face betrayed nothing. "And I'm glad to see you out in the sun. Were it not for the Firedancing Festival, the people might have started thinking you were a ghost."

"Wouldn't it be fun to be a ghost?" Elias clapped his hands together. "I wouldn't have to drink this disgusting tea." He threw the cup off the balcony.

"Father." Ferdinand poured him another cup and placed it beside him.

"You could give me a glass of wine, you know. Or whiskey."

"Father, you're not supposed to have whiskey, and the last time we caught you sneaking some, you ended up stuck in the airing cupboard."

"Where is Laurent?"

"You asked me that already, Father. He's on that horse of this."

"But he's always back before afternoon tea." Laurent adhered to the strict schedule the doctor set. It was always pleasant when Laurent missed the schedule, but he did stick to it religiously, so it was noticeable when he wasn't there.

"Yes...of course. But he's not right now."

"I know that sound, Ferdinand, what has happened." Memories were hard to find on some days, but other days, by the grace of the gods, he could remember. And when Ferdinand talked like that, there was bad news.

"Father...I'm afraid something awful happened to Laurent." Ferdinand looked out over the balcony. Elias followed the man's gaze and saw a tremendous amount of smoke billowing up over the countryside. A forest fire? How could that be? The past few days had been clear, but for the most part, this had been a wet summer.

He could only see smoke, no actual fire, so any blaze must have already been extinguished by now.

"Is that a signal, Ferdinand?" It was a very small flame.

"Of sorts. Laurent died in that blaze."

"A flame that small and that quick would not kill a man unless he was trapped there." Elias knew a scheme when he saw it.

"No, not trapped. Ambushed. And with a little supernatural help, you could start a fire easily."

"Super...natural. You can't mean..." Elias stepped away from Ferdinand.

"Not exactly. I didn't forget what happened when the Witch of Dark Flames attacked the city so many years ago, and I remember how that ended. But this one did the job quite well. But that's only one step of my plan."

"Indeed." Elias reached under the table, where he stored the knife. He might have been old, but Ferdinand wasn't wearing any armor, and age hadn't crippled him so that he couldn't defend himself.

Wasting no time, he immediately slipped his hand under the table, grabbed the weapon, and thrust it straight at Ferdinand.

"Ooh, that tickles, Father." The weapon didn't penetrate his skin, or even his doublet. Elias looked down at the weapon, and realized how light it was in his hand. A stage weapon, no blade, not even strong enough to beat someone to death with it.

"You are a cautious old coot. Of course I knew you'd have a way to defend yourself. Stealing it would have only made you find another one, but a replacement was easy enough to do." With that, Ferdinand reached into his doublet, and pulled out a knife of his own. This one looked very real.

He didn't get the chance to look at it long, before Ferdinand thrust it in Elias's chest. It burned. Did his brothers feel the same burning?

"With you and Laurent dead, there will be chaos. With the right scapegoat, there will be war. And the Steel Throne will be mine at last." Elias felt Ferdinand pick him up, and hold him over his head. He tried to spit a curse at his son, but all he could feel was blood in his throat. He could see down into his private gardens, where the lone figure of a man waited. It was hard to struggle, but Elias tried to make some kind of sound.

As he did, though, he realized it was pointless. The guards were not permitted in his private garden, it was a sanctuary he left untouched, in memory of his late Queen Nina. Someone there could only have been placed there. And placed by Ferdinand. A second conspirator, to make his death look different than it was. Elias sighed as Ferdinand tossed him over the balcony, and wondered if his brother, led to the gallows for a murder he didn't commit so many years ago, knew that Elias had betrayed him? Well, if the afterlife was real, he'd soon find out.

Elias silently credited his son for his careful planning. It wouldn't be enough to take and hold the throne, though. If ghosts were real, Elias hoped he'd become one. There was nothing left in his life now but death, but Ferdinand made that interesting.

* * *

Elsa had been going over a few trade arrangements in her room, when she heard a massive bustle going on outside of her room.

She stepped outside to see many servants and guards running around. She called to one, but they completely ignored her.

_Something's wrong. _That they would ignore a royal guest could only mean one thing. Elsa hurried down the hallway to find Anna, and saw she was not in her room.

The castle was too large to look for her from room to room for her, but she didn't have any other solutions, and she knew Anna well enough to know where she might go. Her first choice was to the kitchens, but that was a bust. There was a garden in the place, and Anna certainly loved that. It was supposedly private, but that never seemed to stop Anna. Elsa walked towards it, but she saw a massive crowd of people standing around it, blocking any view.

Worry crept into her, causing the cobblestones underneath the ground to freeze, even through her shoes. She nearly slipped, but it caused the others to take notice.

"Queen Elsa!" The people stepped away from her fearfully. She had hoped to be beyond that, but they were people of the Southern Isles, not her beloved subjects. The only thing they knew of her was the outrageous stories.

"What is going on here?" The people were still scattering at her approach, and she stepped forward, keeping her breathing steady to make sure she didn't cause anyone else to slip and fall. Eventually, servants made way to guards, and they didn't flinch at her.

"Your Highness." The guards were firm, but polite. "Please, return to your room."

"What has happened." Elsa didn't try to force her way past the guards, that would cause any number of problems.

"A black day, Your Highness. A terrible tragedy." The guard seemed terribly upset, but refused to indulge Elsa any further. But, as the guards were moving around, Elsa managed to catch glimpses of the garden beyond.

She could see blood, dread built inside her even worse.

_No! Stay calm! Remember what happened the last time. _Elsa breathed slowly and shut her eyes. In, and out. Don't be afraid, it can't be Anna or anyone she knew, because she would have been found immediately if it was.

It didn't work very well, and Elsa could see the iron bars she gripped for balance freezing over, but the change was slower. Elsa continued her slow breathing, and tried to pick out the words from people inside the garden.

"Highness!" There were many people in the garden talking all at once, so it was hard to get words, but this one came up a lot. From all of the chatter Elsa heard among the castle staff, the many princes of this nation were never referred to as such. The only person who was the King, Elias.

Did he have an accident? Elsa saw a balcony a few stories up, and supposedly, it was where the King's private chambers were.

_Or not an accident. _Considering the "initiative" Hans showed back in Arendelle, she wouldn't have ignored that possibility. Hans had to learn treachery somewhere.

She went back to the palace. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but she'd have enough of this place. She wanted to find Anna and go home immediately.

* * *

Alexander couldn't remember the last time almost all of his brothers were in the same room together. Alexander's earliest memories were of Laurent and Rickard, the second son, eagerly awaiting the chance to go out on hunts and adventures, even though they could barely had fuzz on their chins, let alone men.

Now, ten other steely faces sat around a round table in a mostly unused room. This was the Prince's Council, around the Table of the South. A simple name, but a powerful symbol, gifted to them by their mother while she was pregnant with Hans. It was supposed to be a place for the princes alone, where they should feel free to discuss anything they wanted, without fear of reprisal. Not even the King had authority in that room.

Alexander wasn't sure how effective his mother's symbol had been, and she had died giving birth to Hans, so she never knew either, but this was the only place that seemed appropriate to discuss the tragedies of today.

"Father is dead." Rickard started the meeting, speaking solemnly as he stroked his full beard. There was no need for formality and pretense here.

"As is Laurent." Sebastian stood with ramrod perfect posture. Alexander had heard the story, that Laurent had been immolated in a fire on his afternoon ride, hours before Father died. Kirse, Laurent's horse, had come back riderless and spooked out of her wits, so Rickard and Ferdinand had set off to find the missing prince. The story of what they saw when they found him brought chills down Alexander's spine. Any talk of burned bodies and large fires invariably brought back memories of the attack on Varisen years ago, when the Witch of Dark Flames lay much of the city to ruin.

_Stop. What are you, a child again? You know that couldn't be the reason why. _There was no way it could be the same person, but Alexander couldn't think of any other reason. Little burning of the surrounding grass, but near complete immolation of the person, it certainly seemed like her handiwork of magic.

"So, who's in charge?" Harold gave a shrug, and Alexander's eyes immediately darted to Sebastian, who looked two steps away from pulling out his sword and lopping the lout's head off.

"Watch your tongue. We may speak freely here, but our father has been assassinated!" Sebastian settled for angry glares.

"Bold words, Sebastian." Conrad didn't seemed convinced. "Have you any proof? Father would dance around to himself in the halls and crash into the walls. Who can say he simply did it without walls."

"I do have evidence, Conrad. I got to our Father's side first, although he was already dead by the time I got there. This was stabbed in his chest." Sebastian put a dagger, sticky with blood, on the table. Conrad reached out to touch it, but Sebastian stopped him.

"I recognize this." Alexander spoke. Daggers may have look all the same to an untrained eye, but this was not a common blade. This was an artisan's creation, gifted to a nobleman who could wear it almost as a badge of state. They were custom made, and usually came with a crest somewhere. Not a profitable sale, but Alexander had done enough trade deals with nobles to know their fashions.

"I know what you are thinking, Alexander." Sebastian spoke up. The man did know his weapons, he would know it just as well. "Go ahead, take a closer look."

Alexander pulled the weapon closer to him. He didn't want to touch it, it had Father's blood all over it. But on the pommel, just below the ornamental sapphire, was a small crest of a pair of rampart lions, and a snowflake.

The lions he didn't know, but a snowflake was only a crest on families from one nation.

"It definitely is one of those knives, and more importantly, this is from Arendelle."

"Arendelle!" Rickard slammed his hands on the table. "Queen Elsa and her sister are here! Could they..."

"Patience, Rickard." Tobias, who was just behind Alexander in rank, and the most patient of all the brothers, held up his hand. "I doubt the Queen had anything to do with either of them."

"That Queen is a witch! Surely she came here on the pretext of Hans's trial in order to..."

"Enough, Rickard!" Ferdinand silenced everyone. "I side with Tobias, Queen Elsa is a timid soul and possesses magic over ice, not fire. And the Princess Anna had been underfoot all day."

"Maybe they just gave the order. The Queen came with her own retinue, it would have been easy to prepare if she tried." Harold suggested. Not a possibility Alexander could discount, but he doubted Anna did it. She was way too naïve to do such a thing.

"This means war!" Natan, Tobias's twin who inherited all of the wrath and anger his counterpart never had, pounded his fist on the table. Alexander didn't like the idea, trade would be suspended, and without flowing trade, a war would be difficult. But she saw the faces of the other princes, and knew his view would be in the minority.

"We will enter into the mourning period for our King, and brother, as is custom." Rickard, who was eldest now, spoke up. "We'll shut down the palace and see if we can discover the involvement of those Arendelle nobles, and if Queen Elsa is involved."

"I concur." Ferdinand agreed. For his part, Alexander said nothing, his mind was busy thinking about new trade routes, if and when the Southern Isles went to war with Arendelle.

"We are dismissed then. Thank you, my brothers. It is good we never met today." The standard ending for a meeting at the table.

"Alexander." He could Sebastian behind him as he was about to exit. "War might be on the horizon, and I'll need to ask about trade if that's the case. You and Harold should drop by later so we can make sure we have the provisions we will need." Sebastian was stoic as he spoke, and walked out of the door without waiting for an affirmation. Sebastian suspected a plot, then? He cared nothing for trade. Something he couldn't discuss at the table, even with it's laws of freedom.

_Which brother, or brothers, did he suspect. _


	7. An Averted Crisis

It was almost sunset when Anna finally found Elsa. She was very solemn, as she normally was, but even more than usual.

"I hope we can go home tomorrow." Elsa remarked.

"But Hans's trial hasn't even started yet."

"I doubt it will anytime soon." Elsa had told her that King Elias had passed away. He had fallen off a balcony, but Elsa didn't have any more details than that.

Anna had only ever seen the King at the Firedancing Festival, and had only ever heard him say one sentence. The whispers in the castle told Anna he was on in years and quite feebleminded. But, whispers were just whispers.

Elsa was sure in a hurry to get back home. She never was good around crowds, but she agreed to come here. She wouldn't leave, would she? She wouldn't run away from things again.

"Is there something wrong?" Anna leaned forward.

"Well, they're not going to have any trial right now, there's going to be a period of mourning, just like what happened with our parents." Elsa patted Anna on the head. Anna bowed her head. It had been years, and she wasn't bothered by it, but she didn't like to think about the shipwreck that took their parents.

"We can come back later. Most of the trade arrangements have been made already. And anyone who stays here now should have a closer connection to the South. We barely knew the King, it would be impolite to impose at a time like this."

What Elsa said made sense, but she was hiding again. Wouldn't leaving have looked worse? Or even suspicious? It would be like they didn't want to be there, or they had something to do with it. But one look at Elsa told Anna she wouldn't get the details from her. At least, not now.

On her way to dinner, she ran into Conrad. He managed a smile when he greeted her, but Anna could tell it was the same smile she wore when she had to meet the nobles at her parent's funeral: It didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry about your Father."

"You needn't apologize." For all his dancing and smiles at the festival, he could be as somber as Elsa if he wanted to. "Your smile has cheered me up a little bit, though. It's like a funny prank that doesn't make any mad when you do it. Come on, I'll take you to the dining hall."

"You're going to join?"

"I...don't have much of an appetite. I think I'm just get a few cheap laughs, call it an early night. Been a long day."

"I...I'm not hungry either." Anna lied, but she remembered all the times she tried to talk to Elsa after their parents died. She never answered the door, and Anna had to deal with it all by herself. It was good to know that she could, looking back on it now, but it was painful at the time. She didn't know the King, but she could be there for Conrad. He was older, but he couldn't have been taking it well.

"That's no excuse not to eat. I'll come and see you in the morning." Conrad politely declined, and left her without escorting her to the dining room. Anna looked after him, but decided to leave him alone.

* * *

It was close to evening when the proclamation of the death of King Elias and Crown Prince Laurent went public. Rickard, as second son, had the "privilege" of delivering the news that took all of one minute before he tottered back to the palace.

_Bah. _It was no privilege, it was to look like a leader so he'd be the one chosen to succeed his Father. Harold, with a hood over his face, thought it was a steaming load of crap.

_Much like the one you turned into, Laurent. _All of them, all of his brothers, that's all they were worth, ash. They looked down on him.

But that meant they underestimated him. And now, Harold would make his part of Ferdinand's plan the best part ever. Killing the senile old coot and Laurent the pretentious fop was easy work. The next part was infinitely more interesting, and delicate.

The goal was war, and killing, and nothing could please Harold more. Two assassination would help, but the real chaos came from a crowd, where numerous hands could rend limb from limb and trample the unwary.

And that was where Harold shined. In a crowd, he didn't stand out. It bothered him greatly as a child, but now he knew it's real power.

"The King and Laurent dead at the same time!" He said the words to no one in particular. It would be more interesting to see who repeated them.

"This can't be just some accident." A very large burly man turned to a crowd of people who gathered. He must have been some kind of leader among the rabble. The fools would listen. Good.

"What else could it be." A voice came from somewhere in the crowd.

"A conspiracy. Even idiot princes don't just die abruptly, and on the same day as the King." The burly man replied.

"Now, now." A coot as old as Father tried to calm the crowd. "Have we no sense in our heads? Let reason prevail." The crowd started to cool down, and walked with awe around the old man.

_This would not do. _He did not expect to see a weakling as appeasing as Tobias here.

"Then what happened?" Harold whispered in the ear of a nearby fishwife.

"What did happen, then?" The fishwife was clearly motivated.

"Arendelle is visiting. Remember the Festival." Harold whispered again in the fishwife's ear.

"We had foreigners from Arendelle all over our kingdom!" The fishwife was all too eager to act.

_Dance, my puppets. _

"How could anyone from Arendelle do such things?" The old man was determined.

"Queen Elsa is a sorceress!" The burly man jumped out and shouted. Sorceress was a dirty word among the populace. Sunken ships, poor harvests, and even losing at gambling matches always seemed to have a magical cause ever since the attack by the Witch of Dark Flames years ago.

"She has magic over ice. The king died in a fall, the Prince died in a fire. Neither of those are ice."

"Do you know the laws of sorcery, old man!" Harold, with his hood still over his head, tried to stand as tall as he could, but he still wasn't as big as most of the men here. "Do you know what magic is incapable of?"

"N-no, I..."

"Whose to say Queen Elsa's sorcery isn't just what we saw. She can conjure ice from nothing, who says she can't conjure a fire, or a blast of wind to knock our King off a balcony." The burly man continued.

"I heard she tried to kill her own sister!" A voice in the crowd sounded.

"She said our Prince Hans tried to kill her, but how do we know that's true? She could have controlled him with magic, or muddled the memories of others." The fishwife knew how to spin a tale.

"I say we storm that palace and retrieve our Prince before the lying sorceress has him executed for her bloodlust!"

"Yeah!" The old man was drowned out in a sea of cheers. Pitchforks and other farming implements the people brought with them to hear the proclamation. When he tried to slow the people, Harold watched him fall down and disappear into the mob. Once the crowd had moved towards the palace, Harold saw the old man lying unmoving, covered in bruises from being stomped upon.

_So it begins. _The old man was standing in the way of a beautiful new kingdom, and a splendid war with all it's spoils. He'd show no more sympathy for the broken corpse in front of him than he did for Laurent.

* * *

"Yes, it probably would be a good idea for you to return home for the time being." Sebastian found himself very accommodating when the Queen had asked this of him. He had been talking with Alexander in the library when the Queen came in.

"I do not mean to be crass. This bitter time of darkness in your family is no time for a stranger." Elsa bowed. She was far too gracious. Perhaps it was the custom in Arendelle.

"You are welcome in our halls, Queen Elsa." Alexander, the trader, bowed back. "Do not think yourself a stranger. We are to begin a new era of trade and partnership."

"I'll be happy to discuss it with you at the appropriate time. Or perhaps the Princess Anna could. She's quite fond of your palace, and of you gentleman."

"The wind will be in our favor in the morning. One of my trading vessels should be able to get your people back to Arendelle in good time." Alexander and Elsa exchanged bows once again, and she excused herself.

"It is not wise, to let her go. She looks more suspicious with each passing moment." Alexander leaned against the wall, spinning the globe in the corner.

"She has nothing to do with Father or Laurent. She's been underfoot the whole time." Sebastian always made sure visiting dignitaries were kept under close watch. They weren't spied on, but, for the most part, Sebastian could know where they were in case something like this happened. And neither Queen Elsa nor Princess Anna were anywhere near Father or Laurent at the time of either death.

"I don't think she did, but I worry about what actions this will cause. She may be courteous, but it takes more than that to be a good diplomat."

"So, what's going on?" A voice from the doorway turned both Sebastian and Alexander to Harold's attention. He looked rather pleased with himself, which Sebastian knew always meant trouble.

"It is dealt with, Harold." Alexander blew him off.

"Fine. I know how it is." Harold started to pout and left the room. Sebastian followed him for a moment, but never was any good at stealth, and Harold caught him before long. Sebastian was able to lie his way and ask his opinion on funerary clothes, and excused himself quickly.

_He is up to something. _He always was. Whenever there was some kind of problem, Harold was usually involved. It was not discrimination, merely history. Did he overhear what he and Alexander were discussing?

Sebastian started to make his way back to the library, to Alexander. If Harold was involved in Father's death, he might have something in store for the rest of the family, or for Queen Elsa. If she died in the care of the Southern Isles, Arendelle would go to war. A plan would be needed to deal with him.

He heard a tumult outside, and he went towards the palace gates, where he saw many guards struggling outside with a very large riot of peasantry.

"We demand justice for our King!" "Bring us the witch!" Many things were being said by the crowd, but these words seemed to be constant. A riot, then? They suspected Queen Elsa of murdering the king, for no other reason than her witchcraft? How ridiculous! He stepped outside to try and calm the peasants, but they didn't back down until more armed guards came out, and Sebastian drew his sword. The peasants knew what it meant when his sword came from it's sheath: That he was fully capable of using it, and killing many of them. He advanced, some retreated. Some tried to attack him, but Sebastian expertly dodged their clumsy attacks, and knocked them down without even using his blade.

"That is your warning. The next one knows what happens with my blade." The crowd screamed and shivered.

"Don't let our Prince Hans die for her sorcery!" He heard a random voice shout from the crowd, but the rest of the folks were starting to run away.

Hans? He wouldn't die for Elsa's sorcery, he would die because he tried to assassinate a Queen! Whatever mind he had for intrigue, it paled in comparison to his lack of honor. He wasn't involved in any of this, either. No one came to his prison cell aside from Ferdinand and that upstart little princess, Anna. He'd have nothing to gain from this either.

_How ironic. The only brother whom I could trust completely is a regicidal maniac. Hmmm...trust completely, huh? _

Sebastian's mind started to wrap itself around what he had just pondered. He could probably trust Alexander, but that wasn't enough. Besides, Alexander would not be taking the Queen back to Arendelle, he would have his hands full with trade deals and pacifying the worries of the nobles, as they always did when a monarch died.

He needed someone with no stake in this power struggle. A rogue to catch a rogue.

Sebastian would have to iron the details with Alexander to make this plan work, but he knew he had a good idea on his hands.


	8. The Open Sea

"Shhh! Shhhh!" Suppressing giggles, Anna hid behind the curtains with Conrad. She couldn't help but remember how this was the way Hans acted way back when she first met him.

_But no. _He was trying to act like the man of her dreams. She knew exactly what she was doing with Conrad.

"Okay...now!" They had waited until they could hear the footsteps through the hall, and Anna pulled on the rope she was holding. At once,several suits of armor in the hallway lurched forward, as if marching in formation.

"Gahhh!" A man's voice screamed in sheer terror. Conrad fell down to the floor with laughter, falling out of the curtains. He rolled across the floor, pounding his fists, laughing hysterically.

"Conrad, you..." Anna peeked from behind the curtains to see another man, dressed in the same princely attire Conrad wore, glaring and stomping his feet before walking away in the other direction.

Anna had to admit, the whole stunt was hilarious. Now that the man was gone, she started laughing too.

"Natan, you look like a constipated badger!" He called down the hall.

"I couldn't have pulled this off without you." Wiping a tear from his eye, Conrad got back on his feet. "It's too bad you're going home today. We could nick ourselves a whole purse-ful of fun before the night came in."

"It was fun." It was funny too, to see a man as old as Conrad still enjoyed pranks.

"You've gotta come back, once everything's over. It'll be all sour and sad, and the best pranks need another set of hands. No one else will do it with me. Well, except my son, but he's only four, so he can't help."

"You're...married?" That was news to Anna.

"Yep." Conrad pulled off his glove and showed her his wedding ring. "They live on an island to the North, I was only back at the palace because of Hans. I'd rather be there, but...well, obligations. You're as royal as I am, you know what it means."

She did, and didn't say another word.

"I'll bring my wife and son when you come back. You'll love them!" With a little dance in his step, Conrad brought Anna to the kitchens. After breakfast, they would leave.

"I had the cooks pull out all the stops, authentic Southern Isles cuisine. Spicier than what you're used to up north." He devoured the food on his plate very swiftly. Yesterday, he was so down, and wasn't eating. No, he was the same bright guy in the domino mask at the festival.

He must have been acting. According to the palace gossip, he just lost his brother in a horrible accident yesterday, too. Have courage, Anna remembered everyone told her when she lost her parents. It was not easy. How did he do it?

She remembered Hans again, and remembered, if nothing else, he was a marvelous actor. Did it run in the family? She didn't want to think the worst of Conrad, that was exactly what she accused Hans of doing, seeing only the terrible parts in others.

* * *

"Wow, I'm really popular today." Hans received another visitor this morning, two in fact. Sebastian and Alexander both came into his little cell. Odd to see them both, they were very much unalike.

"Oh, Hans, charming as always." Alexander took the lead. Hardly a surprise, Sebastian was terrible at talking. Hans knew better than to trust a single word that came out of his mouth. Alexander's mind was always on one thing, profit.

"I'm afraid I don't know enough about trade to be of any help to you."

"Like I need help with trade. Oh, Hans, I'm here to offer you a deal." Alexander smiled, and Hans knew better than to trust it. Not from any of his brothers. Alexander's planning may have been more rational than Ferdinand's, but either one would screw him over in a heartbeat.

"What could you have to offer me?"

"Plenty. But first, something for free. Father was killed yesterday." Hans didn't blink, even though Alexander made it clear through his words foul play was suspected.

"Laurent, too." Sebastian filled in, and that was interesting. Not at the same time, according to the story, but that didn't mean much. Coordination was required for any assassination. If one, why not two?

"I presume you have a suspect. Am I getting a roommate in my cell?"

"If I had proof of that, Hans, they'd be executed before we started the mourning period." True, attempted murder and actual murder were two different things.

"Which brings me to you, Hans." Alexander took over. "Evidence suggests that a noble from Arendelle is responsible for Father's murder. However, no visiting dignitary could ever get close to him while alone to strike. Only one of our brothers could do that."

"So you've got a royal assassin conspiring with Arendelle to murder Father and Laurent, causing a succession crisis, and probably a war." What would be the point of that? The entire nation went badly during one of those. Assassinations, blackmail, all of it was rife when choosing a successor from scratch.

"Even the royal assassin is a subordinate to someone." Hans pointed out. Only someone else, with no ties to Arendelle and the Southern Isles, and would profit from chaos and war with both. "Weselton would be my guess to the mastermind."

"Truly amazing, Hans. You always did have a better eye for conspiracy."

"Is that your offer, to ask me to figure out who was behind the strings?"

"If I needed that, Hans, I could have figured that myself." Alexander took a deep breath. "No, what do you think the next step would be in this mastermind's plan, Weselton or not."

"Murder Queen Elsa and pin it on the Southern Isles, if not me." That way, all sides would want a war, and to destroy the others.

"Very good. So now, that's why I'm here. She's heading back to Arendelle, but she's in our care until then, where her murder could be tied to us. You'll be going on the ship to prevent any...problems. And of course, to find any evidence from who our royal conspirator, or conspirators, is." Alexander delivered his offer very formally.

"Wouldn't it be easier to pin it on me, then?"

"You'd be disguised as a guard, with a helmet." Sebastian interjected. "No one would know. In fact, that's the point."

Hans silently considered the offer. A war would be terrible. Despite any failures Elsa might be as Queen, she was the current monarch, and, if Elsa was murdered, there would be people who would tie it to him. Anna, probably, given her emotional and protectiveness of her sister. And minds were swayed by emotion when it came to trials. The people would come in with tainted minds.

Elsa could, probably, avert a war and prevent Arendelle from going. Sebastian had enough clout with the Southern Isles's military that they'd stand down if he gave the order.

"What do I get from this, Alexander?"

"If you don't, Queen Elsa will assuredly die, and you will be executed for her murder." Alexander remarked. "If she survives, it will be because of you, and that information will be considered in your trial."

"You give me empty promises, Alexander."

"I give you more than you think, Hans. You do not want a war, and will do everything in your power to prevent one. Because you and I knows what happens when wars are raged over monarchs." Alexander lowered his voice. Hans did know. Soldiers whipped in patriotic fervor, and fury would rage across the countryside, burning fields, destroying homes and doing worse to the people, who lacked the weapons and training to defend themselves against a horde. Arendelle wasn't known for it's military might, but it would attack if their Queen was murdered.

"You shrewd little cretin." Hans looked at Alexander, who smiled smugly and said nothing.

"We do what we must for the Southern Isles. The ship leaves shortly. So, you'll have to hurry."

* * *

As Queen Elsa's ship slowly left port, Harold hid himself in the cargo bay. No one had noticed him come on, and, with luck, no one would notice until the task was complete.

The riot was only partially successful. The people were whipped into a fervor easily, but there was no royal blood split.

_What should I expect from the rabble. _If it took the elegant touch of a noble, than that's what it would take.

Stormwrack Keep was the signal. That was where Richelle, that crazy fire witch, was based. He could murder Elsa near there, then drop one of the lifeboats at night and head to the castle while they were docked. It would be enough: The war will start with Elsa's blood. And when Ferdinand rallied the army and crushed their pathetic defenses, Harold would be in charge of occupied Arendelle. He knew it was a kiss-off position, not like running the Southern Isles, but at twelfth in line, with only Hans behind, Harold knew whatever power he was going to get, he needed to seize it.

The ship cast off. No going back now, now that Harold knew the meaning of retreat. Only Sebastian, and a few guards, concealed by helmets so Harold didn't know if they were allied with Ferdinand or not, stood in his way.

It didn't matter. They'd be at Stormwrack Keep very shortly. The winds sailed in the other direction, so the trip to Arendelle would be slower, slower enough that the Keep would still be reachable by boat at nightfall.

Harold rubbed his hands together. This...would be interesting.

* * *

When night fell, Elsa did not rest easy. That assassin had come for her on the trip down, there might be others on the ride back.

She still kept the signet ring carefully secured, wondering if, maybe, the seal could be recognized by someone back at home.

Elsa appreciated the extra guards, and Sebastian himself had come on the trip to ensure their safety, but they didn't make her feel at ease. Not with everything that happened. Elsa insisted on having Anna in the same room, and her sister was safely sleeping tucked in bed.

They used to share a room as children, and it was always peaceful, watching Anna sleep.

_Maybe I should relax, just a bit. _Elsa lay down herself. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a loud BANG, coming from the bow of the ship. It had startled Anna awake, but Elsa reached the door first. The front of the ship was burning.

Wasting no time, Elsa ran up to it and, without any regard to who might see her, blasted the blaze with her magic, quenching the flames.

Breathing deeply, Elsa surprised herself. It didn't look like anyone was hurt in the blaze. A sailor who watched her started to come up to her and talk, but before he could speak, another loud bang happened near the rear of the ship, and Elsa could see the unmistakable aura of another fire near the stern.

_How was this happening? _Fires didn't just start, and not on water. Did...was there someone else with magic, only with fire powers?

Another explosion of fire near the rear. Right now, it didn't matter. Elsa needed to find Anna, and get her off this ship.


	9. Shipwrecked

Anna nearly fell over when the second and third loud booms happened behind her. What was going on? When she looked out the window, she stepped back in horror to see the rear of the ship engulfed in flames.

_Elsa! _Anna bolted for the door. She could barely see anything in front of her, the night was so dark, but she could hear people running frantically. And there were screams, Anna shivered each time she heard the screams. She had never heard the sound before, but she remembered the story from Hans's journal, and she could almost hear the screams waft from the pages when he talked about the people and the Witch of Dark Flames.

She tried to see what she could see. Perhaps Elsa was using her ice magic to put out the fires? It's something she would do. Anna turned to head towards the flames when she felt someone grabbed her from behind. She turned around to see Prince Sebastian, flanked by a helmeted guard. There would be no way she could break from that man's grip.

"Let go!" She pleaded. "I need to find Elsa!"

"You need to get to a lifeboat." The ship lurched slightly forward as Sebastian talked, causing Anna to trip and fall into his arms. His heart was racing. Sebastian used this closeness to wrap her in his arms, and carry her towards a nearby lifeboat.

"Elsa! Elsa!" Anna screamed, hoping Elsa could hear her. She knew Sebastian was right, that she needed to get on the boat. But she could do that with Elsa too.

Sebastian gently put her into the boat. "Just keep rowing away from the ship. You'll get to shore, it's not too far." He ordered her.

He turned to the soldier by his side. "Maybe you should go with her, Ha...Hansel." He swallowed.

"Princess Anna can handle rowing a boat. It would be more prudent to retrieve Queen Elsa." The man returned in a tinny tone. He could talk back to the Prince like that?

"Yes, we should find her immediately. I'll head to the stern, you head to the bow." Sebastian didn't put up a fight. He then turned to Anna.

"Be very brave, Princess. Trust us to save your sister."

"I...I can't!" She couldn't leave Elsa. They needed to be together.

"Queen Elsa would agree with us." The helmeted guard returned tersely. "She wants the safety of her sister before all things. Get safe, that way, Her Highness can focus on saving herself than worrying for you."

"She'll get to shore if I have to swim with her on my shoulder." Prince Sebastian's voice was determined, and warm. Part of it reminded her of her father. Then she remembered Prince Sebastian, like Prince Conrad, had children.

"Promise!" It was such a silly thing to say, but it was the only thing she could think of so she wouldn't scream.

"Aye." Prince Sebastian and the guard started lowering the ropes. Anna could see the ship raise even more into the sky, and the two men lowered the boat faster. Once it hit the water, Anna started rowing as fast as she could. The fire from the ship was almost beautiful, but Anna had to blot it from her mind. She continued to row.

* * *

"Are you certain she should go off like that?" Sebastian asked Hans once the boat was away.

"You'd be surprised what she can handle by herself. She might be young and brash, but it takes her far." The ship started to list to the right. There was still time, but not a whole lot, so he and Sebastian split up as promised. Fortunately, Hans could see a blaze immediately go out near the bow. Queen Elsa must be using her ice magic: No one would be trying to put out fires the mundane way now, with the ship obviously going down.

Hans leapt over the railing, nearly losing his balance. Freaking listing ship. There was still enough fire left over here to see a woman, out of breath. She was the figure putting out the flames, so it had to be Elsa.

"Your Highness!" Hans called. Elsa turned to face him.

"Officer." Fortunately, she didn't know who he was yet. She started to walk towards him, but, out of the corner of his eyes behind him, he could see another figure, creeping up behind her. He was backlit, so Hans couldn't make out any details, but he could make out the silhouette of a sword.

_An assassin! _He unsheathed his blade immediately, rushed towards Elsa, and blocked the blade that would have cleaved her head off.

Elsa gasped, and stepped away. Up close, Hans could get enough light to see it was Harold.

"What are you doing!" It was pretty obvious what the plan was with that sword, but Hans couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

Harold didn't say anything, but he tried to attack Hans again. He deflected the blows. Just like so many swordfights growing up: Harold could never beat Hans in a fight. He was too aggressive, always tried to end the fight early with a definitive blow. But strikes like that were best done when the opponent's guard was down. Fighting defensively always worked in Hans's favor.

A slight lurch from the ship, causing it to list even more made Hans's knees buckle. Harold quickly took advantage and tried to strike. The sword banged against Hans's helmet, causing his head to rattle.

"Argh!" He grunted, then tried to reclaim his balance by shoving forward, ramming Harold with his shoulder. Harold fell against the deck railing, and his sword left his hand and fell into the ocean. Hans could hear it splash.

"That's it, Harold. It's over." Hans leveled his blade at the man.

"Do not...speak to me so informally you...rabble!" In a rage, Harold lunged towards Hans. He gripped the sides of his wrists and wrestled. Another slight list of the ship caused Hans to lose his balance, knocking him prone. The slam, coupled with his helmet, stunned him, and he lost the grip on his sword.

Harold immediately scooped it up and rose it high to deliver a piercing strike to his heart.

"No!" He could hear Elsa scream, and a wave of ice flooded his vision. It struck Harold, knocking the elder prince off of him. Hans could hear the man gasping for breath Hans scrambled to his feet to see Harold was starting to be covered in ice. Hans took a quick look back to Queen Elsa who was staring at hands in total shock. Fine for now, at least.

Hans turned back towards Harold, who was icing over even more. He looked just like Anna did when she came back to Arendelle, not long ago. That blast Elsa hit him with had struck him in the heart, just like her.

"Harold..." What he could he do to him? True love wasn't just between lovers, but Hans loved Harold even less than he loved Anna. Twenty-odd years of knowing him gave twenty-odd years of reason to hate.

"Spit on you!" Harold gruffly cursed at him, before he started to slide towards the starboard side. Did he freeze already, or did he just stop trying to hold himself up? He slid into darkness over the side of the ship, and Hans heard a dull splash, like a stone sinking to the bottom.

He turned back towards Elsa.

"You need to get off the ship!" He ordered her.

"You..." Elsa looked horrified, probably from what she did to Harold, and he could see ice forming on the deck around her. He grabbed her hand, to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"Anna is waiting for you. She's safe, on shore, but she needs you!" Elsa's expression calmed when he mentioned Anna.

"You...saved her?"

"Yes. There's a lifeboat..." Hans started.

"I can freeze the water and walk. Save the boats for someone who needs them." Elsa remarked.

"Land is that way." Hans pointed to starboard, where Anna had gone off rowing into the night. Elsa was quiet for the longest time.

"Thank you...for saving Anna." It seemed even a crisis couldn't take the Queen away from manners.

Hans turned to head to the stern.

"Are you coming?" Hans nearly fell over when he heard Elsa call to him.

"I have to get Sebastian. He's too stubborn to abandon ship. And we'll need as much help as we can get. Go to your sister!"

"Be safe!" Elsa climbed to the railing, and then it was too dark to see anything. She knew the best way to use her powers. For a second, Hans marveled that she was telling him to survive and be safe, and wondered what it is she would have saved if she knew the face behind the helmet.

* * *

There were many ways to cause a fire on a ship, but they required a lot of preparation, and setup. Sebastian was sure he would have seen something if someone was making such preparations. Of course, once he got to the stern, the fire was the least of his concern.

Burned corpses of the crew surrounded a lone female figure, smiling intently as she walked effortlessly among the flames. She turned to face him.

"They said to just kill the Queen. But this was just so much better!" Her cackling grin and maniacal laughter was something he knew all too well.

"Richelle!" He hadn't seen her in over five years, ever since the Witch of Dark Flames attacked the city. He was the one who pushed for her exile.

"Commander Sebastian!" She giggled with delight.

"Do not call me that! You were expelled from the army and with good reason." Richelle only giggled. A barbarian if there ever was one, she was more like a rabid dog or a mudslide than a thinking human. She'd kill anyone who got in the way of her blade.

"No. I'm not in your army anymore. In these five years, I've done so much more. And I've thought about you, and those other silly princes. Every. Single. Day. I've wanted to do this so badly." She raised her empty hand, and Sebastian watched in shock as another part of the deck erupted into flames.

"S...Sorcery?" What else could it be.

"Isn't it delicious. The Witch of Dark Flames! Ummm...Again!" Sebastian knew he wasn't smart, but even he was smarter than Richelle.

"You can't be the Witch of Dark Flames. We saw the Witch ourselves. You killed her!"

"Yes, I did. My last kill using steel. But I am the Witch!" She made another fire, this one so close to Sebastian, he could feel his beard getting singed. It no longer mattered who the real Witch was, this threat was real enough. Sebastian drew his blade. The list of the ship did not encumber him at all, and he elegantly danced around the flames Richelle created.

"The other prince on the horse didn't put up a fight, but you...I knew you'd fight!" Richelle smiled with glee as Sebastian struck. His blow went wide, and Sebastian pulled the dagger from his belt and held it in his left hand.

"More!" She continued to dodge his attacks.

"Stay still!" He took a wide step, anticipating Richelle dodge, and managed to catch her in the shoulder with his dagger.

"Aah! Yes!" She laughed as if she was enjoying Conrad's stupid pranks, and then kicked him in the gut. It didn't hurt, but it did knock him down.

"Sebastian!" The ship lurched again as Sebastian heard someone call his name.

"Ooh, I wanted this to be special for us. Guess I gotta hurry up." With another word, Richelle raised her arms again, and Sebastian felt every part of his body sizzle as Richelle set the wood around him ablaze.

The next thing he knew, Sebastian was being carried by a still-helmeted Hans. The flames were gone, at least around him, but the pain was so bad, Hans was doing the walking for the both of them.

"C'mon, don't you still want to kill me?" What a sweet fantasy, and effective motivation. Unfortunately, even it wasn't enough.

"The Queen?" Sebastian asked.

"Froze some of the seawater and walked to shore. Harold tried to kill us, he's...dead now, I think. What was that cackling woman?"

"The Witch of Dark Flames." Sebastian could feel Hans's face go white behind his helmet. Sebastian remembered how, during that time, Hans became concerned about the plight of the common folk, and Lord Castelgard. Such a quaint notion of justice, there was no proof, and even if there was, there were far more important things to worry about, like all of the destroyed buildings.

"We have to go, the ship isn't going to last much longer." Sebastian knew, he could feel the ship list even further. Soon, it was descend to the deep.

He wouldn't survive the trip. How he survived with these burns so long was a mystery itself. All that was left now was getting Queen Elsa the help she'd need. Just like the Queen and Princess, Richelle surely fled to shore. He knew nothing of battles between sorceresses, but Princess Anna wasn't one, and she could be in grave danger.

Hans could handle that: He had a good head on his shoulders. All Sebastian could do now, was final farewells.

"I spent my whole life hating you." Sebastian was trying to stand up.

"I know. You all did." Hans looked away.

"You took our mother away from us."

"That's hardly my fault." True, what infant could be blamed for complications in childbirth?

"Life was different when she was around. Maybe if you had her...you'd never have done the things you did." Sebastian had finally gotten to his feet.

"Does that matter? I had ambitions of my own, Sebastian. I wanted a kingdom that followed my philosophy."

"You...still believe in that?" How cute, justice for the masses. How Hans didn't see the irony, that if he raised a kingdom under his edicts, he'd be punished just as severely for attempting to murder Queen Elsa.

"I don't know about running kingdoms. But I do know about disaster. Disaster is coming to our home, Hans. Go and stop it. Land is that way." And with that, Sebastian pulled the helmet off of Hans's head, and threw him as far as he could away from the ship. There was suction after a ship went down, and that helmet would just make Hans sink.

Without any strength left, Sebastian sat on deck as the ship started it's descent into blackness. He thought of his wife, and three sons, all too young for war. He thought of his mother and father, and how he'd join them soon. He thought of his brothers, fair and foul both. He thought of Elsa and Anna, two innocent souls who would be dragged against their will into conflict. And then, he thought of Hans, and his crazy beliefs.

_Fight well, keep them safe. Put forth the same effort into taking a kingdom into saving it, and maybe you'll make it through. Let victory and justice sustain you, until you reach the gates of your enemy. _

And Sebastian felt the water, and soon, nothing at all.


	10. Allies in the Sand

Her heart was pounding as Anna rowed the boat to shore. Deep breaths stopped her from screaming, but they couldn't stop her from worrying.

_The ship, it sank. _She couldn't see it happen, put the fires went out and she was pretty sure that was the sound she heard. Elsa, Prince Sebastian, and that nice guard who went to look for her sister, did they get away?

They had to. The Prince and the guard knew what they were doing, and were perfectly calm the whole time, and Elsa's ice powers could have frozen the water, like it did when it locked all of those ships in the harbor during the eternal winter.

_So...why didn't she do that and prevent the ship from sinking? Or maybe she did and everyone got away and there was no need to keep the ship there. I mean, it was on fire, it wouldn't have sailed again, would it? _

Her racing mind did nothing to calm her mood, but she kept rowing until, through the barest haze of starlight, she could make out land. It was further than Sebastian made it sound, but she got there. Exhausted, she walked onto the beach. She turned towards the black waters of the ocean and tried to see any sign of Elsa, or anyone else.

"Elsa!" When she couldn't see anything, she called. She screamed Elsa's name several times, and heard nothing back but the sound of the waves.

Part of Anna wanted to sink to the ground and cry. A horrible lie she was told, just like Hans, but this time, Olaf or Kristoff or someone wouldn't come for her and be there for her. She didn't even know where she was.

_No. Don't. _She wouldn't let her knees buckle. She couldn't give up. She was able to beat a frozen heart, she was able to save her sister. And with her sister, she ended an eternal winter.

Anna straightened herself up. She could do this. All she needed to do was search the shore. Both of the men were physically stronger than she was, maybe they got here before hand. And rowing that boat was awfully tiring. Surely, Elsa, who could freeze the water, even if she didn't save the ship, would have gotten here long before her, even if Anna got on the boat first.

Tracks, that was how it was done in the books. Sand would leave footprints for her to see. But she couldn't do that until it got light outside. She needed to find a house or something.

"Well, well." Anna nearly jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice behind her. She turned to face it. There, not too far away was a figure in shadows.

"What an unfamiliar and vulgar guest." The voice was definitely a woman, and a woman who was very old.

"Vulgar...who are you?" There was something about this woman that chilled Anna, chilled her as much as when Elsa accidentally blasted her heart with magic.

"I am a very old woman who has a visitor to her island. And who are you?"

"My...my name is Anna. My ship was wrecked near here. I'm...I'm looking for everyone else from the wreck, have you seen them. My sister..."

"Hush, child." The woman silenced her, and, to Anna's great surprise, a light green glow appeared in front of Anna. It came from the old woman's outstretched hand, and illuminated her utterly emaciated face, wrinkled so much, Anna couldn't tell what parts of her face were skin. How old was she, two hundred?

"You...you have magic too? Like Elsa?" If Elsa had magic, Anna supposed someone else could, but, aside from her sister, the only magic she'd ever seen was Grand Pabbie and stories.

"I sense many lives lost tonight. Not all. A strong spirit dies, but others cling to life and will find their way to my isle. Perhaps...another exists, one who can truly understand the power. And truly use it. Oh, Fate, your strands are marvelous!" The old woman wasn't even looking at Anna anymore,

"W...what?" Anna's voice squeaked out. She wanted to ask about "dies", who died? It couldn't be Elsa, no way, it couldn't.

The woman turned her gaze back towards Anna, and she could see the old witch's eyes glow as green as her hand.

"Not you." She seemed to spit, and Anna felt her legs get very heavy, like she hadn't slept in ages. Anna tried to keep on her feet, but she fell to her knees. She tried to open her mouth, but only a slight wimper would come out.

"I am no one, you can call me The Crone." Anna heard just as her head hit the sand.

"What will you bring to me, my minnow?"

* * *

The frigid water felt like he'd been stabbed all over with many little knives. But Hans knew better than to think about it. He willed his body to swim until his legs touched the ground. Walking as far away from the water as he could, he removed his wet clothes and wrung them out as best as he could. He threw his doublet and braies back on, leaving the rest far enough from shore that the tide would not wash them away.

With the exception of Stormwrack Keep, completely unreachable on a high cliff right now, this island was shelterless, and almost completely uninhabited. It was a prison for political prisoners in his grandfather's time, but the last time it had been used recently was against a berserker soldier named Richelle who served under Sebastian. That was years ago, how that woman would have survived this long was impossible, there was only vermin and few edible plants here.

Hans didn't relish the idea of running into her if he was wrong. He had lost his sword in the battle with Harold, and while he knew how to defend himself with his fists, he wouldn't last against a monster like that.

Hans curled up on a hillside, which would provide some small shield from the wind. At least, despite the cold of the water, it was a warm night. Tomorrow would be a pleasant day.

He didn't feel any better when he woke up, but at least it was warm, dry, and light enough to begin his search. Today, he'd have to scour the beach for the two wayward Arendelle royals. That couldn't be hard: Neither of them knew anything about surviving in the wilderness, so they wouldn't wander very far.

He didn't see anything until he started walking north. The tide broke that way, so Anna, who was in a boat, not very strong, and probably had never rowed before in her life, was probably carried more in that direction than Hans was.

Sure enough, as he ascended a hill and looked down, he could see a lifeboat resting against the sure. Peering at it, with her back to him, was Queen Elsa. She looked a little disheveled, but none the worse for wear from the shipwreck. Must have been nice to not have to swim in frigid water. The sun dried his clothes somewhat, but he was still chilled. Why didn't he go with her? He tried to save Sebastian, thinking a second sword arm would have helped. Instead, Sebastian attacked a witch and died.

_Crap. _Hans didn't even like Sebastian, and it still felt terrible to be thrown overboard, knowing Sebastian went down with the ship because he wouldn't have survived otherwise

Elsa must have heard him, because she turned around to face him.

"Your Highness!" He called and rushed over towards her. Instantly, her eyes went wide as saucers, and then she stepped backward, immediately conjuring a large, spiked pillar of ice between them.

_Oh, right. Regicide. _With everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten about that. Not to mention that Sebastian had thrown the helmet overboard first.

"Just my luck. Shipwrecked and the first person I find is you!" Elsa was in a defensive posture, Hans remembered it from when he went to see her at her castle. She was fighting defensively at the time, mostly trying to put distance between herself and her assailants, Weselton's two private stooges.

"I'm not here to fight you, or anything of the sort, Queen Elsa." He made no moves to come near her, and her pillar of ice started to melt in the sun.

"Like I believe you. The shipwreck didn't kill us, so you had to finish it yourself."

"I had nothing to do with that shipwreck. Sinking a ship you're traveling on to kill your shipmates is a terrible way to rid yourself of someone!"

"It's a horrible thing to do to anyone!" Elsa shouted. Hans could see ice forming on the boat, and rapidly melting.

"You wouldn't have believed me if I said that, now, would you. And thanks, by the way, for saving my life earlier."

"What?" Elsa finally drew herself out of her defensive stance.

"Do you remember that helmeted guard you offered to walk on the ice with you?"

"Y-yes, he saved me from an assassin."

"That was me." Hans pointed to himself. "The assassin...was my brother, Harold. Sebastian thought something would happen on the ship and...well, since I was in prison under strict guard, I couldn't have had anything to do it. So he had me come along. Good thing I did, otherwise you'd be dead."

Elsa's brow wrinkled in thought, not that Hans blamed her. This was hardly a situation most people would be calm in, let alone a woman as sheltered as the Queen.

"Where is Sebastian, then?"

"He couldn't make it off the ship. He said he was fighting someone called the Witch of Dark Flames. He...it didn't go so well. Look at that, two days, and my father and three brothers get murdered."

Elsa looked away, and Hans could see more ice forming around her. The realization of what she did to Harold must have starting kicking in.

"Hey, don't feel bad about it. He really would have killed us both." Right now, he didn't need the Queen getting crazy, or worse, suicidal. Plus, it was true. Harold must have been toadying to Ferdinand, and would have done anything to get power of his own.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "You can't honestly think I trust anything out of your mouth?"

"And what do you think happened, Your Highness? I stowed away on a ship looking to kill you? How would that have gotten me a throne? Please don't confuse my plans with...plain crazy." How did someone like her have the fortune to be born into power, and not understand the threats such power garnered. Did she truly think he was so...base with his schemes?

Elsa didn't move. Clearly, she was wracking her brain to try and figure out a solution.

"Take your time, let's just stand around and wait until the news gets back and our nations go to war. I don't expect you to call me a friend, but I'm willing to be your ally, and, more to the point, I'm the only ally you're going to find here. So, think you can find your sister and get back home yourself?" Hans glared at her. She might have had the grace of a ruler, but the similarities ended there. She would fare no better a ruler than any of his pathetic brothers. But right now, she was the only thing that could save his people the terrors of war.

Elsa looked once more at the boat. There was something in that boat, probably. Maybe, if that was the boat Anna used, she had left something there that Elsa recognized, a piece of clothing, maybe. Arendelle's people would war for their Princess Anna as much as they would for their Queen Elsa, so finding her was a priority.

"I...accept. We find Anna first, and then we get back to Arendelle, or the Southern Isles." Hans didn't expect Elsa to let him get within handshake distance, but Hans didn't care for needless formality. What was the proper etiquette for letting your people endure a war you could have prevented?


	11. Elsa and the Prince

_This has to be the worst idea I've ever had, and that includes the eternal winter. _Elsa stood silently as Prince Hans Westergard, the man who tried to kill her, carefully looked inside and around the lifeboat. Elsa had seen Anna's cloak resting inside: She must have removed it to help her in rowing the boat.

If it wasn't for Anna, she never would have considered the idea of an alliance. With someone who tried to kill both her and her sister? Sheltered though she was, she was not stupid.

But Elsa couldn't make out any details about where Anna went. Hans, at least, seemed to have an idea. And he would need her, as much as she needed him: This was the border of the Southern Isles, the northernmost island. That rowboat couldn't be used on a long voyage, either to Arendelle or back to the capital. He would need her to freeze the seawater to reach a closer port.

As long as she had that, she'd be all right. Still, she saw ice form on anything she touched, just by being around him.

"She walked this way." Hans started following footprints, and only went a short way before he stopped.

"Hmmm..." He furrowed his brow.

"What!" She immediately rushed over to him.

"She fell down here."

"Fell...was she hurt!"

"Calm down, Your Highness." He crouched down and looked further. "She dropped to her knees, but it doesn't look like she was injured. There's no blood." Once he finished talking, Elsa started breathing steadier. It wasn't enough, by a long shot, but at least she knew Anna wasn't injured.

"But the footprints stop here. There's another set of tracks here. These are heavier, and the steps drag more." Hans started moving away. "They come up to Anna, and then she disappears. The dragging footsteps get heavier after this point. It looks like Anna was carried by someone."

"Someone? Soldiers?" Soldiers would have heavy footsteps if they wore armor. Was it another survivor from the boat? Maybe Anna was assisted, that shipwreck must have been hard on her.

"I...doubt it. Sand would get into the greaves if they walked like this. It looks like an old person, someone with a stoop as they walked, they shuffled along. They go that way." Hans pointed towards the cliffs.

"I...am impressed. How did you figure this out so quickly?"

"I used my head." Hans looked at her with a stern expression, clearly disapproving of her statement. "Heavier footsteps sink down further, and these move continuously, but the motions are too uneven to be carriage tracks, and they're too close together anyway." Hans started to walk to the cliff. Elsa was finally able to calm her breathing, and, when she grabbed Anna's cloak, no ice formed on it. He might have been evil, but he was talented. If the talent could be focused in a way that was usable, maybe he could lead her to Anna.

The cliffs were very high. They reminded her of the ice walls in the North Mountains back at home, not as sheer, but just as forboding.

"Are you sure this is the way that person went?"

"That's where the tracks lead." Hans looked at the ground, but grimaced. Elsa didn't see footprints of any kind, but the sand was wetter here, so perhaps the ocean washed them away. There was no other place to go but up. How could someone go that way carrying Anna?

"Well, impossible or no, this is the way they go." Hans looked up at the cliff.

"Is there anything on that cliff?"

"Stormwatch Keep." Hans answered. "It's possible to climb, but it's beyond my skill, so that's to say, it's completely beyond yours."

"I am not helpless, you know." Elsa scowled at him.

"I'm sure all your time locked in your castle, away from your people and your responsibilities, taught you the intricacies of rock climbing. And can give us all the ropes and other equipment we don't have.

"My respons...excuse me? I never meant to cause that eternal winter."

"That's not what I'm talking about, although cursing your entire kingdom and running away certainly isn't the highlight of your reign, though you must think it is."

"I am not proud of that! And you, you think to lecture me, you tried to murder your way to a throne!" Elsa growled, and could feel Anna's cloak starting to freeze over in her hands.

Hans didn't back down. "Really? I heard the story, I was there for most of it. All you wanted was your freedom, and even when confronted with what you did, you attacked your sister and refused to deal with the problem. It didn't matter what was wrong with her or your people, all that mattered was you and your selfish desires. I was there in your kingdom dealing with the responsibility of your mistakes, I listened to babies screaming from the cold while mothers tried fruitlessly to console them. I watched gardens and fields of wheat frost over: I sure hope the damage isn't permanent because your people are going to be in famine once harvest time ends and winter, the real winter, starts. You couldn't be bothered to even help their suffering until you could figure out your powers. For all your talk and offense, you're far more greedy and petty than I am."

His words shocked and stunned her. Truly, she didn't know what it was like in Arendelle during the eternal winter. She spent it unconscious and trying to get away from Hans. And after it ended, the people were only overjoyed to have their Queen back. As she mulled over Hans's words, she found that there was truth to them. Early and late frosts did have detrimental effects on crops, and, far more humiliating, Elsa hadn't considered what happened to the rest of the citizens of Arendelle: Those assassins sent by Weselton, Hans himself, and Anna's frozen heart had dominated her mind the whole time.

She didn't know how to stop the winter then. But, truly, she didn't even try to do so. She reasoned that it was something she could not do, and didn't pay it any further mind. That was inexcusable, her father had taught her better than that. His open door policy had been that all citizens, of high and low estate and everyone in between, could petition the King and be heard. Their arguments, not their name, was what mattered. And the King would use every resource he could to solve problems.

It had changed when Anna was hurt, she was too afraid to even come near the servants, let along strangers. She was still learning what she had missed, but so far, it wasn't pretty. It had to change, she had to change. She was the Queen, her father's daughter, and she was going to act like it.

"I don't know how to rock climb." Elsa admitted. "But I can get us to the top."

"How?"

"My magic. I can make any structure I can imagine."

"How could that help us here? Even if you could make a ladder, wouldn't it just melt in the sun?" Hans still didn't look convinced.

"I was able to freeze an entire room of our palace in the middle of the night during the summer when I was a child, and keep the ice from melting for hours. I should be able to keep something smaller from melting for twenty minutes."

Hans looked at her incredulously for a moment, looked back at the cliff, and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't have a better idea. Go ahead." He stepped back, and Elsa put Anna's cloak on her back, shut her eyes, and started to visualize a ladder in her mind. She opened her eyes, looked back at the cliffside, and stretched out her hands. A blast of ice extended into the start of a ladder. Elsa touched it, and the ice solidified into a more definite shape, and continued to stretch out higher up the cliff.

"Ah!" She could hear Hans behind her wince a bit from the cold of the ladder. Let him, ice was always going to be cold. And, while she may have needed Hans, and his harsh words snapped her out of a funk, he still tried to kill her. She needed him alive, not happy.

Stormwrack Keep was actually rather creepy up close. Elsa had seen it from the ship, but seeing the cold drab stone and obvious disrepair, it could almost make her believe the place was haunted.

Hans walked into the courtyard first. Thistles and other weeds peaked through the uneven stones.

"Someone lives here." In a hushed tone, Hans signaled to her. Obviously, whoever from the shore that carried Anna brought her here. How he or she scaled the cliff with Anna in tow was another question.

But...Elsa had thought there was another person on the ship with magic, the one who started the fires. If they could have magic, they would have gotten up similarly to the way Elsa did.

Hans was looking at a rack of spears on the wall. He took one of them, then pointed with it towards one wing of the Keep.

"You search that end, I'll search the other. Come back to the courtyard when you're finished. If you find anyone you shouldn't, make a loud noise." Without another word, Hans went into the opposite side of the keep, carefully opened one of the doors, and disappeared from sight.

While it would have been a good idea for Elsa to find Anna first rather than Hans, it was more important to find her as fast as possible.

The furniture and everything else in the room she entered was completely covered in dust and a few cobwebs, but tracks within the dust told her that someone lived here.

"Oh." A woman's voice made Elsa jump, and she span around trying to find her. However, the room was completely still.

"And who comes to my little lair?" After a quiet moment, Elsa heard the voice again. It was definitely the same woman, and she sounded old.

"Who are you?" Elsa still couldn't see anyone, so she called out to no one in particular.

"You...are more interesting. A natural, a natural in my home." The woman's voice was speckled with slight amused laughter.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I am looking for my sister. Her name is Anna. If you have seen her, please, tell me where she is, and I will leave and not disturb you further."

"Disturb? Oh my dear, you truly have no idea, do you? I am so enraptured I could sing! What talent and power you possess." Was this crazy woman referring to her magic? Elsa hadn't used it since she made the ladder, and that had probably long melted away by now.

"I am looking for my sister." Elsa echoed, trying to get the attention back to the reason she was here.

"How droll. Blessed with such power, and thoughts dredge towards the mundane. Just like the other one. It was all sisters. And she didn't have your power."

"Where is she!" Elsa stomped her foot, causing a rivet of ice to fill the small crevasses in the floor.

"Delightful. Look at that power!" The crazy woman's voice filled Elsa's head.

* * *

There was a lot of ash on the floor of the rooms Hans was searching. Someone lived in abject squalor, and burned almost anything they could find. It did get cold here at night, but there was no firepit dug or tended. The person here burned for other reasons.

It made Hans shiver a bit. This person was probably the cackling madwoman who killed Sebastian on the ship. Anna wasn't in here, and Hans had no desire to run into the madwoman: The insane were terrifying in battle, they defied all reason and would kill themselves to kill their enemies.

Hans started ascending a tower, keeping a careful lookout for any sign of the person or people living in the tower, but saw nothing. He kept looking over his shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that he wasn't alone in this place. But no one bothered him as he ascended, and, once he reached the top of the tower, he saw Anna sound asleep on the floor, alive but completely unresponsive.

Quite a few questions raced in Hans's head: How did she get here? Why did she fall asleep on the floor? And why did this feel like a massive trap? But how could it be? No one could have assumed all three of them would survive that shipwreck, or even that Elsa and Hans would work together.

He could deliberate it later, when he was far away from this place. He moved towards Anna, but stopped. If she woke up and saw him, to say she'd be upset would be a monumental understatement.

He looked out towards the courtyard, and could see Elsa coming out from one of the other rooms.

"She's up here!" He called to her. His first instinct was to head down to the courtyard and give her directions, but instead, he called to her and told her the path to follow. Once Elsa had Anna, who was to say she wouldn't use her magic and leave him stuck here. Far more innocent people had betrayed him already, and between the attempted regicide and his severe tongue-lashing, Elsa wasn't a person who owed him any loyalty.

"Have you...seen anyone while you've been here?"

"No."

"Have you...heard anything, or anyone?" Her questions trailed off, and she kept looking over her shoulder, just as Hans had been doing during his search. But Hans hadn't seen anyone, it was just precaution.

"You should get up here, get Anna, and let's go." As Hans started to give a command, he watched one of the wooden palisades to the left of Anna erupt into a giant inferno.

"Don't leave...My guests have arrived!" An all-too-familiar cackle reminded Hans that the crazy sorceress who destroyed the ship could have only fled to this island anyway. And it looked like she wasn't done with the burnings.


	12. Stormwrack Keep

_Unbelievable! _Albert Weselton was seething as he looked over his reports. Everything had been cobbled together perfectly. Careful preparations made, favors called in from people he never wanted to associate with.

And everyone had to think they knew better. First, that idiot Lord Rialto tried to assassinate Elsa on the journey to the Southern Isles, and now, if the reports were accurate, that bloodthirsty sorceress sank the entire ship instead of murdering Elsa and Anna.

Now, for all Arendelle knew, the ship was attacked by pirates, or who knows, sea monsters, the rabble came up with stupid legends. Nothing that would tie the Southern Isles to their murder. In fact, since a Southern Isles Prince, Sebastian the soldier, also perished in the attack. While Ferdinand, his contact, may have found the man a threat, Albert wanted him alive: He was a fierce foe on the battlefield, and many of Arendelle's soldiers would have fallen to his blade and strategy.

Now, though, Arendelle and the Southern Isles would bond over this shared loss, and their alliance would become stronger than ever. They might even forgive that wretch, Hans. And if they dug for conspiracy, they'd find it.

What was so difficult to understand? Everyone was getting exactly what they wanted from this alliance if they stuck to the plan: The idiot prince and the noblewoman would get the throne, the sorceress would kill her enemies, Weselton would profit, and the rest of the idiots would realize the futility of a throne at war, and too late to do anything about it.

And they were rushing, trying to add things. Who were they trying to impress. Or did they think they could get more from their arrangement. How ridiculous.

That's why Albert always planned ahead in case something like this happened. He'd just have to advance the cause with a few lies. With all souls on the ship lost at sea, no one would exist to contradict the story. And if some clinged to life on the high seas, as was certainly possible, it would be too late. It'd take a day to get a ship there, and longer to find anyone alive. Enough time to at least start a war.

Thank goodness all communication was done by carrier pigeon. And that he knew who all his conspirators were. He might have to kill a few of them as a example: They already violated the arrangement to suit themselves, who could say whether or not they'd sell out Weselton to advance themselves.

But right now, their heads were more valuable where they were. It was time to reach out to his main contact in Arendelle.

* * *

Elsa jumped in surprise when she saw the scaffolding burst into flames. By instinct, she reached out towards it with her magic, and put it out just as easily.

"You!" A greatly displeased woman's voice shouted, and Elsa turned to see a wild-haired, ash-covered woman scowling at her.

"You...would do such a horrible thing!" She raised up her hand towards the scaffolding, and again, it erupted into flames. She had magic? At first, Elsa wondered if it was like her own, but one look at the pure smile of delight the woman had on her face as she burned the scaffold told Elsa that, even if she was born with magic, the two women were nothing alike. Elsa knew she was no madwoman.

Elsa put the fire out again, and heard footsteps to her left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hans, armed with the spear he took. He had left Anna where she was, then? Probably for the best.

"You again? Another princely Prince to burn. Oh, I waited so long, and now they come one after another!" The woman stretched out her arms like she would give Hans a hug.

"Friend of yours?" Elsa didn't take her eyes of the woman.

"No. She was the one who destroyed the ship. She killed Sebastian. She is the Witch of Dark Flames." Hans kept himself in a martial stance. Elsa supposed, just like Harold, this crazy woman wasn't about to just let them go. Did she have Anna? She didn't seem the type of person to use a person as a trap. Plus, Elsa would have expected Anna's rowboat to have been incinerated by this crazy woman, who now immolated a wooden buttress above Elsa and Hans, causing them to scatter. And there was still the matter of the strange elderly woman: The tracks Hans saw, and the voice Elsa heard while searching this place.

Right now, though, Elsa had to concentrate on this.

"You knew this woman's name. Know how this magic of hers works?" The only other magic-user she knew was Grand Pabbie of the trolls.

"No. Only magic-user I ever fought was you."

"Wonderful." Elsa used a blast of magic to put out a fire, it was the only thing that seemed to distract the crazy lady. As the woman moved to re-ignite the flames, Hans stepped forward with his spear, the woman dodged and weaved away from him. Hans continued to step forward, only to watch the woman ignite another wooden buttress. Hans had to roll away from crushed underneath flaming debris.

Elsa put the fire out again. She wanted to shout out to Hans about avoiding the palisades and buttresses and fighting out in the open courtyard, but she couldn't. Distracting him by talking to him would be just as bad.

* * *

The rule about fighting sorcerers and other magic users were simple: Kill them before they could do anything crazy. If they couldn't be killed fast, figure out how their magic worked and fight with that in mind. That was what Sebastian had said about it, and he'd fought more than one.

This crazy woman didn't attack either him or Elsa directly with her fire, so perhaps she was unable to. She also seemed to gesture in the direction she wished to attack, although distance was no factor once she selected a direction.

_Get in spear range, keep her attention, don't get under anything wooden. _It was as good an idea as any. Hans took several steps forward and attacked. The crazy lady dodged artfully, and stretched her arm out towards the tower where Anna had been asleep. The wooden shutters on the door immolated themselves, and Hans could a loud woman's scream.

"Anna!" It didn't belong to Elsa, it seemed, Elsa put the fire out almost immediately.

"Don't you..." The crazy woman started, but Hans moved in to attack. She got away at the last second.

"I am your opponent!" Hans shouted. Anna would be okay if the crazy woman didn't have her attention. He took another step closer.

"Come and die in my arms!" The woman giggled.

"I'm very good at breaking hearts. Your case will just be more literal!" He thrust his spear towards her chest, she jumped backwards. Hans kept on the offense for several more strikes, until he stepped on a part of the ground that was uneven.

The woman took advantage of it, and kicked him in the leg. Hans brought his other foot backward to keep his balance, and the woman charged forward, grappling the spear with him. Hans expected her to light the thing on fire, but she didn't. Was that another limitation? Or, unlike Queen Elsa, was she not immune to her own powers? Unlikely, she seemed fine after lighting the ship ablaze.

Hans twisted the spear to try to get her to lose her grip, but she moved her arms with it.

"So you know your weapons." If he couldn't keep her attention by fighting, he could keep it by talking.

"I was a soldier before I became this."

"Cackling mad?"

"Something more. Surely your Prince Sebastian told you who I am."

"There's only one person who would be here who was a soldier. You must be Richelle. The bloodthirsty barbarian." Sebastian had never mentioned magic before. But that could be for any reason. Hans took a step left to try and wrench the spear from her, but she still held on. But it did give Hans a view of the rest of the courtyard. Elsa had disappeared, probably to get Anna. Left him here to deal with the crazy fire-witch all by himself.

_Figures. _They were supposed to be working together. Perhaps it was just the regicide thing, she was taking it way too personally. It was like she thought it was a personal slight.

Oh well, that was always the case. Even without regicide, everyone always left. They found their alliance too "inconvenient" or they wanted something more. That was just the way of the world. They'd filter back in the second the danger was over, and pretend like they were there the whole time: Just the way everyone else did alliances.

Hans pushed, pulled, and twisted, trying to knock Richelle off balance. But she kept moving and dodging. It could almost be a dance.

"What's going on...Elsa!" Hans heard Anna's voice scream in the distance. He couldn't look, though. The second after he heard her scream, he could feel the ground underneath his feet get cold. Taking the barest of glances downward, he could see the stones beneath his and Richelle's feet grow cold.

Richelle stumbled slightly, just enough for Hans to shove her forward, and wrenched the spear from her grasp.

"Grrrr!" Richelle turned, and Hans saw Anna and Elsa at the doorway, Elsa bent down, clearly having used her magic to freeze the ground underneath their feet.

"I've had enough of you!" A tiny rivet of fire emerged from Richelle's outstretched hands, pointing towards Anna. The wall next to her was covered in an old, tattered banner. Something very, very flammable.

If Richelle set it on fire, there'd be no way Elsa could put it out in enough time, Anna would be severely injured, possibly even killed, given that there were no doctors or medicine nearby.

Anna's eyes widened as she saw the fire, Elsa barely looked up in time to see it. There was no time: Hans kept his grip tight on his spear, and plunged it straight into Richelle's back.

"Hrk." She turned around to face him, clearly surprised at the attack. Was she truly from the Southern Isles? No one from his home was surprised to get stabbed in the back.

"Oh..." Anna was clearly unused to such violence. Hardly a surprise. Wouldn't it be funny when she asks the story of what Elsa had been doing since they separated: Elsa would have to mention she was a killer, too.

"Hahaha!" Richelle, still with the spear stuck inside of her, started to laugh.

"Knock off that laughing, unless you want me to rip the spear back out." Until meeting this woman, Hans had thought Conrad's laughter after his pranks was the worst thing he had ever heard. But fate wanted to prove him wrong.

She continued to smile and laugh, and looked at him with a piercing stare.

"It's your turn, now!" She laughed once more before she fell over. At once, her body starting bursting into flames, so much Hans had to jump back, his spear hopelessly burned to cinders. The flames died just as quickly, and Hans found himself looking at a charred corpse.

"Let's...get out of here." What else was there to say at this point? He turned around and walked back to the cliff.

* * *

The Crone watched the scene, but had treated it with vague disinterest until the end. The Queen, the natural magical talent, had such fine control over her power, she could freeze the slightest bit of ground. Still had to work in a line from a point of origin, but that could have just been a limitation of her power. That could be worked around.

Richelle didn't notice anything about the Queen's talents. Of course, she didn't really have time before the young Prince ran her through.

_Good riddance. _Richelle carried the curse simply because she was selected for it, not for any brilliance on her part. All the power she commanded, and all she could think to do was burn. It was hard enough to explain the limitations of the curse to her.

_And she didn't have the faculties to think of a way around the curse, I had to practically spell out she could use it on something that wasn't a person. _Everyone who had the Burning Curse was the same way: They thought it's only purpose was to reduce the world to ashes.

The Crone had thought, perhaps the Queen could have taken the power. Surely she, who had some magical talent, could understand it, and use it the way it was meant to be used. But that went nowhere, now that Richelle was dead.

But all was not lost. The Burning Curse would never subside simply by its owner's death. Richelle had been the seventh in a line to possess it. And while all of the previous bearers had been people of raging emotions, there was a certain calm around these people. Maybe all was not lost, maybe someone would finally use it the way it was meant to be used.


	13. Arrival at the Hunting Cabin

"Elsa, what's going on? Why is he here?" Anna looked at Hans after Elsa had conjured an ice ladder for them to climb down the cliff.

"I can hear everything you're saying." Hans had gone down first, and was waiting at the cliffside. Perhaps, but Anna didn't care. It was one thing for him to be completely disarmed and harmless in the jail cell back at the palace. But now, he had a spear, and no one around to stop him from doing something horrible.

"It looks like someone tried to kill us on that ship." Elsa answered Anna's question. Why? Did all of those brothers want the kingdom like Hans did?

"To make a long story short, I was brought on the ship to make sure you two didn't come to harm. Now, I'm getting you back to civilization."

"Anna, how did you get up to that castle?" Elsa tilted her head. Anna recounted her story of the old woman, the one with the magic powers she met on the beach last night.

"Old woman with magic?" Elsa frowned. "What did she sound like?"

"Like...an old woman. I've never heard or seen her before that point." Sound? What an odd question to ask.

"We should get as far away from that place as possible. Where do we go now?" Elsa furrowed her brow in thought. Anna truly had no idea either. She knew that the capital was south, less than a day's journey away, but that was through the sea, and they couldn't go that way. Elsa might be able to freeze some of the ice, but Anna doubted she could maintain that ice all day in the warm weather.

"Hans." Elsa turned to face the prince. "Where's the nearest town to here?"

"Most of the nothern islands are uninhabited, full of dense forest. Although...there is an old royal hunting cabin on the next island over. It hasn't been used in years, but...If we keep walking, we should be able to get to it at late afternoon. Which we'll need, I don't think any of us have any rations or traveling supplies." As Hans said that, Anna could hear her stomach grumble.

"Yes, let's get moving."

Elsa had create an ice bridge to go between the islands. On solid land, Hans would always climb to high points and look around. It looked like the adventure books she'd read as a child, how he was trying to survey the land, find important landmarks. He was content to do the whole thing in total silence, barely acknowledging herself and Anna. Hours passed, and they were not interrupted. Maybe they were uninhabited.

"Can we trust him?" Anna asked.

"I don't." Elsa admitted. "But, right now, he's the only one who can get us to civilization. And he...he did save my life, and yours."

"But you know what he did." Elsa did know. But she had no choice, she said. She had no idea where to go, and Anna didn't either.

"I don't suggest letting our guard down around him. But he can lead us to where we need to go. As long as we only do that, it's fine."

Hans only stopped once, by a flowing river, in order to drink some water. Anna quickly followed suite. The river was actually a beautiful sight, with it's cascading waterfall. It made Anna forget her weary feet and aching legs for a moment. This...hunting cabin, it couldn't be much further, could it?

Fortunately, it was still daylight when Hans started to pick up the pace.

"We're close." He followed the coast. Eventually, Anna could pick out, right next to the bay, the unmistakable slope of a roof. Her legs nearly gave out with excitements.

"It feels like we've been walking for hours!"

"That didn't stop you from doing it to rescue your sister. Why the sudden change of heart?" Anna could have done without Hans's sarcasm. She had been riding, for the most part, that time, but she wouldn't give Hans the satisfaction.

The hunting cottage was plain and, just as Hans sad, hadn't been used in quite a long time. It was very dusty, but dry and more important, secluded. It would do for the time being while Elsa got her bearings straight, and figured out what to do next. The shipwreck was clearly plotted, and Elsa would need a plan of her own.

"It looks like it's going to rain tonight." Hans remarked when they stepped inside the house. "We should hunt for some food and get a fire going."

"Can't we...take a minute...Elsa, why are you tired?"

"I am. I've never walked so far in my life." Elsa had already collapsed into a chair. "Can we...can we rest a moment."

"If you want to risk not eating tonight, go ahead." Hans grabbed a hunting spear from the wall and went out of the cabin.

"Ooh, I want to...to...hit him with the first large thing I can find!" Anna wrang her hands in frustration. It was bad enough she was stuck in close quarters with him, it was even worse that he was the leading them. He knew where he was going, he could leave them, go off on his own, and they'd be stuck here until they starved to death.

At once, the fatigue left Anna. She jumped up.

"I'm gonna make sure he doesn't do anything." Anna stood up and headed out of the cottage. Elsa put her hand on her shoulder.

"Let me. I think I know what you should be doing, and if worse comes to worse, I have my magic. I can better defend myself."

* * *

There was a river right by the cottage that pulled into a lake. While there may have been boars and other animals in the woods he could hunt, he didn't have a whole lot of time, or the equipment, to hunt them.

But the cottage did have hunting spears and nets, and the river was full of fish. Even a few would be enough for the three of them.

Hans pulled most of his clothes off, and waded into the lake. Some fish flitted away at his presence, but he could see other ones still swimming around. Perfect.

Hans's first few attempts ended in failure. He must be frustrated, he never missed this many attempts. Maybe it was the shipwreck, or that crazy fire-woman.

_What did she mean by 'it's your turn now'?' _He didn't feel any different. Or maybe his frustration was because of the absolutely annoying two twits from Arendelle who were going to just laze around wasting all of the daylight...

"Hey!" A woman's voice called from behind him, nearly causing him to jump out of the water. Hans turned around to see it was Elsa.

"What...you. I thought you'd be sound asleep after a few hours marching."

"Anna is collecting dry grass. I thought I'd tell you I found some buckets and have filled them with ice. They'll melt in the sun so we can have clean drinking water." That was certainly a sensible solution. Much better than having to boil the lake water.

"Any luck?" Elsa looked at him. Hans turned away from her, ashamed at the thought that, for the moment, he had nothing to offer. Well, he hadn't been fishing long, that would change.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He turned back to the water, and, although he could see the fish down in the water, they were retreating away from him, even when he remained still.

When he was younger, they'd scatter if he made sudden moves, but if he remained still, he could skewer quite a number of fish. Now, it was almost like they were actively afraid of him. Was he too tense? Or was it Elsa, and the magic she possessed, that spooked them? It was said that dogs could sense magic. Could fish, too? Fish would avoid the ice.

Hans tried to fish again, but after six more failed attempts, he went to the shore in failure. He'd gone days without eating before, that wasn't the problem. Now he had nothing to show for himself. If it was back with his brothers, they'd take turns kicking him until he passed out. This wouldn't happen here, but it was no less humiliating.

"What is wrong? Your shoulders are sagging."

"Thanks for staring." The last thing he needed was her pity. "Hmmm...your ice magic. Could it freeze the water around a fish?" Ice floated in water, and if Elsa could freeze a fish in place, Hans could easily scoop it out. He had no shame in begging if it was the choice between a meal and starvation.

"Not without freezing the whole lake." So much for that idea. Hans grabbed the rest of his clothes. He could hang his soaking braies out to dry, and put the rest back on.

"I see...well, there are some edible roots on the plants around here. I'll have to forage for those." Digging in the dirt for his food, it bothered Hans less than he thought it would. Most food came from the dirt, and it washed off with just water. If those nobles could understand that, then governing the people would be so simple. How could they be so blind?

* * *

The water melted in the buckets fine, and Anna had taken care to air out all of the old blankets of the cottage, to get rid of any dead insects. Hans did manage to find a few dirty roots that, according to him, were edible. He ate one first to prove his point. They weren't the tastiest thing she ever had, but Elsa was hungry enough not to care. Hans was right about one thing, at least, it was starting to rain, and now, he was fiddling with a tinderbox in the fireplace, with some wood and the dry grass Anna collected earlier.

"Well, we're safe for the time being." Anna ate her root. "How long is it going to be to reach the next city?"

"There's a farming village not too far from here. If we set out early, we should reach it by midday. Stupid tinderbox." Hans was not having a whole lot of luck with the tinderbox either. It was a surprise, to see his normally composed and calm facade, which he kept during a blizzard and during the assassinations, utterly ruined by a simple tinderbox. Elsa would have offered to help, but she never had an easy time setting fires.

"Come on, you...little..." Hans was striking with the flint and steel, and making sparks, but they didn't seem to be catching.

"Catch!" He yelled at the sparks, and, at once, a bright billow of flame stretched from the flint and steel, immolating the tinder and created a roaring fire.

Anna's eyes went wide as teacups. "Was it supposed to be that fast?" Elsa didn't think so. While she'd never been out of the wilderness, she had lit fires before, and she knew that started small, and then worked their way up to a blaze.

"That was..." Hans looked just as confused as the other two. Elsa paused for a moment. Could...could she have done that? Her magic had always been ice her entire life, and nothing else. She knew now how to remove it, but she couldn't make fire. But that didn't mean that was the only thing her powers could do. Her gowns were made with her power, but they were not made of ice. Olaf, though made of snow, was certainly different from the palace she made.

Was her power evolving in ways she didn't know about. Anna didn't have magic, and, as far as she could tell, Hans didn't either. He never used it, when he had all of the opportunity to do so back during the eternal winter.

Did...was it something like that crazy woman? That crazy old voice had mentioned something about power and growth...

What was she turning into?


	14. The First Salvo of War

Caterina Rialto stood at the balcony. Not too long ago, Queen Elsa opened the gates, and stood here, addressing her subjects for her first time, just before the coronation.

Caterina would have preferred she waited: There was so much more that could be done without royal oversight. Those wonderful years between the old king's death at sea and Queen Elsa's coronation had brought with them a masterful time to do business, without tribute, tithes, scutage, and any other nonsense.

Weselton was good to his partners, the old cheat may have gotten the better ends of any trade deal, but even being on the short end of Weselton profits was better than the most profitable of anyone else. The Southern Isles tried, but where that crafty old Duke got his privateers from skimmed so much on oversight.

So when he came up with the plan for a murder and a consolidation of power, Caterina pledged everything. Schooled her spare son to assassinate that stupid Queen once they reached Weselton's shores. He was worried about the magic, but it didn't matter, since the simpleton jumped the gun and tried to kill Elsa before the ship arrived.

_Oh well. _She had other sons, and he was disposable anyway. At least Ferdinand, that wretched Southern Prince, did his job. The ship that Queen Elsa was sailing on, sank while returning back to Arendelle. No details were forthcoming, since there were no survivors. But that meant no details could be challenged. And, the carrier pigeon from Weselton told her everything she would need to do.

_Start the war. _That was something she could do. She still had pull among the nobles. She had planned on using it to become the queen herself once Elsa and that little brat sister of hers was dealt with.

"My Lady." A servant bowed to her. Must have been one from the castle. "They are ready." Caterina turned away from the balcony, and walked into the audience chamber. Two bare thrones faced her, as nobles from every family lined up to watch her walk. As the head of the oldest family in Arendelle, it was her duty to announce news that affected the nation when the royal family was unable.

"People of Arendelle. I have learned that the ship carrying our Queen Elsa and our Princess Anna back from the Southern Isles...has sank." She made sure to pause for emphasis, and allowed the crowd to get in their murmurs. Rumors were powerful weapons, but they needed the right incubation.

"Just like our former King and his bride. The sea has claimed so much of Arendelle's royal blood. But..." Again, another pause. "Perhaps the sea is not so capricious. There have been no recent storms, or swells. Other merchant ships have sailed this route and saw no problems. Perhaps the sea did swallow our Queen, or perhaps...she was delivered to its jaws."

The crowd murmured even more.

"What are you saying, Lady Rialto?" A voice from the crowd, she didn't know who.

"Our Queen was traveling to the Southern Isles, where one of theirs tried to make murder. At her return, she herself is murdered. I claim the South has murdered our Queen and Princess, and wishes us to believe in simple accidents. Are the people of Arendelle so easily swayed?"

Murmurs gave way to shouts.

"Where one Prince failed, another succeeded. Murder is the way of life in the South! I would stake my fortune on the fact that the recent death of their King is murder, one they would lay accusation to our visiting people! Then they would sink them in retaliation, before we could show their innocence! Have I lived so long, and lost a son on that fateful voyage, only to watch scoundrels get away murder? People of Arendelle, without our Queen and Princess, we would fall to mourning. But I say we should not slander their memory and let this crime against the heart of our people go unavenged. They ended our royal line and would gorge themselves on us. Before they can do any more harm to us, let us bring them down, punish their sins, and avenge our Queen!"

The crowd roared. If there were any protests, they were drowned in the din. Her part was complete, for the time being. In truth, she didn't do much. Arendelle and the Southern Isles had disputes lasting far longer than Elsa, Hans, or anyone else. Getting close with Weselton, their biggest rivals, such a thing would happen. Wars between the nations had not happened recently, but Caterina still remembered when her mother would tell her of the last war. Other mothers, and fathers, had told their children the stories as well.

It only took a spark to rekindle those memories. The people wanted war, they had just forgotten about it.

Well, that was over with. Even her idiot son, and the equally idiotic royals on the throne, could serve that true purpose.

* * *

After sleeping on the cold hard floor of Stormwrack Keep, the simple bed Anna had slept in felt every bit as luxurious as the one back at home. As she slowly opened her eyes, part of her was desperately dreaming that she'd wake up back home, back in Arendelle. And this could have all been an incredibly vivid, but just a completely bad dream.

But no, she saw the thatched wood of the roof, and knew it was no dream. She was in a hunting cottage in the middle of nowhere, down in the Southern Isles. Thankfully, with her sister, sleeping soundly right next to her. But, unfortunately, with Hans.

He had saved her life, at least twice. Anna didn't count the one where he warned her about the Festival since she wasn't in danger. It didn't cancel out, Anna knew. Even though they had to work together now, things would never be the same.

_I thought it really could be love. _Anna crept out of the bed to let Elsa sleep. How rare of her to sleep so soundly, or to be asleep as Anna awakened. Hans was sitting at a table, pouring over a map.

"Midday, you said. Will we reach this village by then?" Hans wasn't startled when Anna asked.

"We won't be able to leave just yet, the ground is still very muddy. Let's give it a chance to dry out." Hans stood up from the table and grabbed another of the leftover roots from yesterday.

There was a low fire and Anna warmed herself by it, taking another root. There was one left for Elsa, so at least everyone could eat today. She regarded Hans warily, out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't reconcile the man she saw with the man she knew, and the man from the journal she read. She couldn't stay on guard forever: It was already exhausting, and she'd only been doing it one day.

The silence was dreadful, but she didn't know what to say. When she argued with him, he kept turning it around on her, and she had no response to it, and according to Elsa, he was the same way with her.

Hans finished his root, and went back to the map, making notes with a quill.

"Hmph. If we go south, we're in Eddelbreck's domain. Could we...no, I can't avoid it." He was muttering to himself, trying to draw up the best route.

"What's wrong with, umm...Eddelbreck?" She interrupted.

"Don't worry about it. We just need to reach the seaport. We should be able to book passage on a merchant ship back to Varisen."

"Book passage? Couldn't you just order them to take you?"

"I am a criminal released in secret, and criminals can only be pardoned by the King, which we don't have right now, so I'm basically a fugitive." Hans shrugged. "Besides, we need to keep a low profile. If Ferdinand doesn't know already I've disappeared from my cell, he will soon enough. And since he'll know he had nothing to do with it, he'll think it's a threat. And he's right. You two will need to lie low as well. Elsa shouldn't use her magic unless she absolutely needs to, even if she thinks she's alone."

"Well, that won't be hard." Anna tossed her hair back. "I mean, you remember her freak-out at the coronation. None of us knew anything about the magic until then, and she had it all her life. Conceal, don't feel, she said."

"Hmm?" Hans turned to face her.

"That was the philosophy she used. Don't let them in, don't let them see. Fear is the enemy." Anna recalled the catchphrases Elsa always said to herself, and the snippets she remembered her parents always saying to her, what little she saw of Elsa in her childhood. Those phrases never made much sense until now.

Hans, however, scrunched his nose with disgust. "That's a terrible philosophy. Who came up with that nonsense?"

"What! What did you say!" Anna jumped backwards. It was bad enough she had to spend any time around him, now he had to insult her dead parents too.

"Don't get me wrong, it's a sensible attitude for dealing with scheming nobles and politics in general, but not for something like magic powers. She should have been practicing it every day, knowing what makes it trigger and what makes it not, and what the limitations are. Talents like that are rare in the world. And children learn things faster than adults do, she wasted that gift."

"Gift? She never asked for it."

"No one asks for their fate." Hans scoffed. "And no one asks for pain, but we end up with it anyway. I certainly didn't ask to have twelve brothers whose schemes range from practical jokes to attempted murder on my tenth birthday." Hans turned away from her, and walked towards the window.

"I didn't ask to kill my mother." Hans's voice was a lot softer then, but Anna was pretty sure that's what he said. And then she realized Hans had never mentioned his mother, at any time he knew her. And she'd never seen her at the palace, or even heard any mention.

"Your...mother?" When Anna asked it, Hans stepped away from her.

"Nothing. You're hearing things. To get back to my original point, Elsa may not have asked for her magic, but she still had it, and as far as I can tell, she can't get rid of it. She should have accepted it, learned from it, and understood it. Instead,she shut herself in a castle and surrounded herself with her wealth and her denials." Hans took a swig of water from a bucket, and Anna wasn't sure what else to say.

"And the people suffered as a result." Again, Hans mentioned the people. It was his guiding philosophy, one he didn't abandon even now.

"When Elsa came back and ended the summer, the people loved her. And they stood by her. They endured the winter for her, just like I did. Did your people stand by you, Hans? Freezing the country, running away, fr-freezing me...that was wrong, I know. When you messed up, who was beside you, who believed in you? They didn't because you'd treat them as disposable as you treated us, if you thought it best."

"You-You don't know what you're talking about." But Hans didn't look at her still, and she could hear his voice quiver. She'd struck a blow, for herself, and for Elsa. His philosophy was right, but, just like Elsa, he did it all wrong. Elsa had the magic she didn't understand, what was Hans's excuse?

She wondered, for a moment, if it had to do with the mother he claimed he killed and didn't mean to. When he had said that, she could see his face reflected slightly in the window. Although she knew Hans was great at faking his emotions, it was the right time she'd ever seen him sad.


	15. The Flames of Frustration

The farming village was reached by mid-afternoon, they did make good time. Elsa didn't know what to make of it, she'd never seen a village like this before. The entire thing was haphazardly placed hovels made of straw and mud, with a few small buildings of wood, all surrounded by neat rows of wheat. There wasn't even a wall around it.

Elsa was surprised Hans managed to find it: She didn't know villages this small even found their way on maps. The people of the village looked at the trio in amazement, clearly in wonder. Their piercing eyes made Elsa start holding her breath.

"We're just new to them, I think." Anna squeezed her hand beside her. True, they gawked at Anna, and Hans, as much as they gawked at her. It still was hard to get used to. Maybe she never would.

Hans walked towards one of the wooden buildings. Elsa recognized the statues as those of deities, this building must be some kind of temple. An old man was smoking a pipe on the steps of the building.

"Eh? It's not often some well-dressed strangers come into my village not during harvest time." His voice was creaky, and very soft.

"We're only passing through to Kippelvost, but we're looking for some horses." Hans took charge, and Elsa supposed he would have to: She had no idea where to go.

"Come here all by yourself? Must be caught stowaways, thrown from a ship, unless you're from Stormwrack Keep. Have I invited criminals to my village?"

"Sure, why not?" Hans shrugged his shoulders. What on Earth was he doing? This didn't look like any negotiation she'd ever seen before.

"Don't lump me in with you!" Anna, too, seemed non-too-pleased with what Hans was doing.

"And you walk with a proud lady on each arm? Tell me, proud lady, I have horses, what would you be willing to pay to have one." The old man blew a cloud of smoke from his mouth as he looked towards Anna. Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa saw Hans glaring at Anna. What was he so concerned about? Did he honestly plan on stealing, or fast-talking, his way into getting some horses? Even in the castle, horses were worth their weight in gold. Surely, here, in this farming village, they'd be even more...

And then Elsa remembered she had no valuables to offer the man. Everything she wasn't carrying was days away in Arendelle, or at the bottom of the sea. What else could she offer them that was as valuable as a horse?

"Ummm..." Anna seemed to realize her own mistake, as she felt the folds of her dress to where her coin purse would be.

"Well..." The old man trailed off.

"Don't waste my time, old man." Hans stomped his foot on the wooden floors, getting the man's attention. "I've neither the patience nor the pleasure of an extended transaction. Is there something you want for three horses?"

The old man resumed tilting his head and smoking his pipe.

"Horses are quite valuable." There was a slight glint in his eye.

"Let's deal with someone else." Elsa stepped in before her patience wore so thin this village endured an early frost.

"Hahaha." With that, the old man laughed at her. "A foreigner, you must be. I run this village and own all of its horses and other livestock. The other folk, they look to me to guide them." Elsa could now feel Hans glaring at her.

"Now...what else should I charge for this insult..." The old man blew another cloud of smoke, this time, directly at Hans. He shut his eyes as the smoke blew past him.

"Old man." Hans's tone became deathly cold. "I'm offering fair barter for your horses. I could resort to fouler measures if you prefer." His right hand clenched into a tight fist.

Aggravating though the old man was, beating him senseless was not the proper course of action. It looked like Anna thought so to, for she moved to grab Hans's hand.

"Oh, what a scary man." The old man, however, didn't seem convinced. It looked like he might have actually enjoyed Hans's scorn.

_The more I see of this country, the more bizarre it is. _

Hans walked to the side of the building.

"Last warning, old man!" Hans punched the side of the building and growled in an even lower tone. Elsa wasn't exactly sure what punching the wall would accomplish.

But certainly not what she saw. As soon as Hans punched the wall, flames erupted from the impact and spread quickly.

"Fire!" The old man screamed, and bolted away from the impact. Reflexively, Hans jumped back as well, past Elsa. When she turned to see him, his face had gone as white as the mountain snow.

_No time to think, that fire would spread easily. _Elsa put out the fire with her magic very quickly. Perhaps, maybe, she could use her ice magic to provide enough fresh water for these people in exchange for some horses. There was a well nearby, but those could run dry in certain types of weather, she read. She didn't see any other systems of irrigation nearby, or lakes.

"S-S-S-Sorcery!" The old man screamed even louder, and other people in the village, armed with pitchforks and harvesting scythes, surrounded the group.

"Hans, you mind turning that believable charm of yours on? We could probably use it now." Anna was whispering. Elsa concurred, Hans did have a way with words.

Instead, though, he was looking at his hands, mouthing the words "W-W-W-W-W-W" and being completely unaware of his surroundings.

"Get them!" A voice from the crowd stated. A burly farmer with a pitchfork stepped forward towards them.

"Stay back!" Elsa commanded. She didn't want to fight, she hated it. But she would defend herself, and Anna, if she needed to. The man didn't seem remotely intimidated.

"Go away!" Elsa created a spiked icicle on the ground between herself and the man. They were afraid, they were all afraid.

"W-We are a terrible trio of sorcerers! That...That was your warning, and...you, did not heed it." Hans stepped forward. He was still shaking terribly, but color had returned to his face, and he was clearly trying to use a brave voice.

"I am the Dark Flare Warlock, and the flames bow to my will. She is the Sorceress of Rime, the true source of the scourge that plunged Arendelle into eternal winter. And beware the youngest, for she is the most dangerous of all. She is the...Scion of Storms, and with but a glance, she can bury you in flood and strike lightning from the heavens. Be glad we desire nought but your horses." As Hans talked, his voice got more level, and eventually, he started shaking less. Many of the people were running away, and eventually, a few them returned, leading horses by the reins. The people were babbling and panicky, but Elsa supposed it was that or a pitchfork to the face.

"Easy, easy." Anna and Elsa got on their horses very easily, but Hans's horse seemed to be very spooked by his approach. He spoke to it very calmly, and, while the mare seemed agitated, she eventually allowed herself to be ridden.

"Farewell. Be grateful for your lives today." With that, Hans started riding out of the village. Elsa had to hurry to keep up with him.

* * *

If either Anna or Elsa tried to talk to Hans, he wasn't listening to them. He could barely focus on riding, all of his attention was focused on what happened in the village earlier.

What was that back there? Old men like that village chief scared easily: They acted tough when they held power, but when it came to violence, they were as meek as kittens. Much like nobles, in a way. The wall where Hans had punched looked very flimsy, it must have been a recent repair. It would been easy to damage. That was the plan, after Anna and Elsa bungled the persuasive approach.

It would have been easy to burn, too, but Hans wasn't expecting that. The old man's cocky grin and arrogance had been grating on his nerves, and, then, suddenly, that temple was on fire. Not a very fast spreading fire, but it definitely came from nowhere other than Hans's hand. It was all Hans could do to bluff his way away from that mob before they killed them all.

Hans wanted to ride all day until they reached Kippelvost, but knew he wouldn't be so lucky. They would need to stop and rest the horses, at least.

"Here, a good spot to rest." Hans had been looking for one, and saw a brook nearby, with wild apple trees, their fruits almost completely mature and ready to eat. Must be some of those summer apples, most bloomed by harvest time.

_The first bit of good luck in a long while. _Hans got off of his horse first. He had to grip the reins in order to prevent the horse from sprinting, but it calmed down enough so that he could let it drink.

Hans went towards the trees, and started gathering some apples, hoping that, perhaps, Anna and Elsa would ignore him, as they were want to do. He recognized this type of apple: Typically, they were made for cider, not eaten. But they were still apples, and his stomach wouldn't care.

_Never thought I'd say this, but now, I wish that invisible game could be real. _

"Hans, what was that?" No such luck, Anna always did say what was on her mind.

"Apples." He feigned ignorance. "Completely safe to eat."

"Not that." She stood in front of him. "What did you do?"

"You were there. You saw it." Hans shrugged. What could he possibly say to her? He didn't understand it himself.

"Hans, answer me!" Anna insisted. She grabbed him by the arm, and he reflexively jumped back.

"Don't do that!" He growled. "I know you don't have much of a self-preservation instinct, but I don't think you want to burn to a crisp."

"Anna. Let's sit down, and talk about this." Elsa's voice was firm, and Hans looked at her. In both the thing with the tinderbox and the old man, extreme anger seemed to trigger this...outburst, whatever it was. That was very similar to Elsa and her powers, her freakouts caused those blizzards. It might be worth listening to her.

They sat down, on the rocks.

"How did this happen?" After eating a few apples, Elsa asked a very poignant question.

"That woman. Richelle, back at Stormwrack Keep. She said 'it's your turn now.' This must be what she meant." Hans held an apple in each of his hands, and looked at them. Nothing happened to them. Apples were a very wet food, he'd expect them to boil if he was emitting fire at every step.

"Did you know about this?" Elsa leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees.

"No. I mean, the only person I ever met with magic was you. How was I supposed to know you get them if you kill the person who had them before."

_I'd have had someone else kill you if that was the case. _The last thing Hans needed on his quest for a throne was unstable magic he could barely control. Of course, Elsa's magic was from birth: Richelle's wasn't. Might not be the case with her.

"If we were in Arendelle, the trolls might know. But we're not there. Is there anyone like that here?" Elsa crossed her arms across her chest.

"I don't know of anyone. I doubt you'll find a kingdom less hospitable to magic than this one." Of course, that was only the official response, an edict issued back when the Witch of Dark Flames lay waste to the city. Hans never doubted that some nobles, eager for power and a way to upset their rivals, might have someone with abilities like that.

There was a great library in Varisen, and it was rumored that there were secret vaults of knowledge. Maybe something related to magic would be there, and it was worth looking at. But right now, he had more pressing matters. What good would that knowledge do if Arendelle's army lay waste to the city?

"All of this precludes getting back to Varisen, and you two safely back to Arendelle. I'm already expecting a war to be brewing. Fortunately, wars take time to start."

"Agreed." Elsa nodded. "I don't want a war either. And we are to be traveling incognito as best we can, so reigning in your frustration is the best solution now." She was right. But it wasn't a permanent solution. Hans didn't understand this...fire sorcery very well, all he knew was the tall tales told by the soldiers way back when, and the little tidbits he picked up fighting Richelle. But just as he said about Elsa, this was something he had. He'd lose it if he died, but Hans had no intention of doing that anytime soon. They were his now, like it or not. He'd best get used to it.


	16. The Merchant Town of Kippelvost

Kipplevost was a fairly busy town very close to the ocean. The warm breeze smelled of fish and exotic spices, and the open air bazaars stretched all the way to the city gates. Out on the ocean, tall islands jut out of the sea, like fingers stretching to the sky. On the top of the largest was a very large castle.

"Wow! Is that one of yours?" Anna pointed to it, barely able to contain her excitement.

"No. That's Nanai, the home of Lord Eddelbrek. We won't be going there. Besides, we have more important things to do." Even when Hans wasn't trying to kill her, he was incredibly grouchy.

"Awww."

"Trust me, you'd be very happy not to see that place. This is a mercantile town, so I'll try to sell our horses. We should be able to book passage to Varisen, and get a solid meal and lodging for the night." Hans grabbed the reins of the horses, which whinnied and protested.

"Those horses get awfully spooked around you." Elsa raised an eyebrow. It was odd: That horse of his, Sitron, was perfectly calm around him. Was it that fire magic? Or could they sense his inner evil, and Sitron was merely trained very well.

"I can handle it. Just take a look around the city. Just a warning, this is a merchant town, so don't sign anything or agree to any deals." Hans headed towards a very large stable. Anna grabbed Elsa's hand, and she smiled. They were getting to explore a city, almost like a brand new world. Anna knew they had duties to perform, but, for now, she could pretend for a minute.

* * *

The merchant bazaars were lined up all the way to the gate. Hawkers gawked and beckoned, talking about wines, silks, and furs.

Elsa was trying to avoid eye contact with them. She never could get used to the eyes. Eventually, the two of them passed through the bazaar and ended up at a very large fountain, with a statue of an armored and helmeted man, raising his sword in triumph, on top of it. While slightly weathered, it appeared to be fairly new. Was this Hans's father?

"You like the statue?" A man wearing thick velvet walked over the two women. "Had it commissioned twenty years ago." He tossed a gold coin into the fountain bowl. Must have been a weak throw, it landed right in front of Anna.

"Is that the King?" Anna tilted her head.

"Yea. Our former king, gods carry him to his glory. Accursed Arendelle, murdering our King."

"Arendelle?" Anna was in shock to hear such a thing, and even Elsa was shocked. They didn't, truly, suspect someone from her country. Was this what Hans warned about? No, he said he was trying to prevent a war.

"Haven't heard the tale? Stabbed and murdered him, they did. Heard a rumor those two royals sank on their ship on the way back home. Serves them right, murderous harpies." The man walked away, leaving Anna aghast.

"They really think we did it."

"Hans might be right about this war. We should avoid standing out as much as possible. In fact, once Hans sells those horses, we should get inside." Elsa leaned on the side of the fountain, and dipped her hand in the water for a second. It was refreshing on her hands: That all-day horse ride was murder on her hands.

It was just talk when Hans had mentioned it, but...these people, they were so casual about Arendelle's guilt they talked about it to strangers in the street. How could this be fixed? A war? Even if they did figure out the truth behind the King's death, Elsa still kill that other Prince, Harold. Sure, he tried to kill her, but that...probably wouldn't matter to these people.

Elsa looked down, and saw there was a slight pool of ice in the fountain. She immediately withdrew her hand. She couldn't think about it: She was doing what she could to think about it, and that was enough. The man who talked to her went back to the fountain, and looked at the statue again. He said he commissioned it, probably just fawning over his pet project. At least, she hoped he didn't notice the ice, and put two and two together.

* * *

_Ah, the hunt. The simplest of pleasures. _Lord Castillon Eddelbreck looked at all of the stalls, and found nothing that interested him. Imported silks, bah? Jewelry? Hah, he had pearls more valuable back at Nanai, and he'd dissolved them in vinegar just to prove a point.

_Besides, I'm after a different sort of fun. _All of the people around the city were plain and dull. It would have been interesting if he had come here dressed in his finery, and watched the rabble fall over themselves. But lions hid in the low grass to catch their prey, peacocks only strutted around when it was safe. And his merchant's outfit was fine enough camouflage.

Unsuccessful. Castillon went to the stables. His horse had reared up while riding yesterday, and the impudent beast was slaughtered for his insubordination, and served to the slaves.

_I'm sorry, "servants". _Slavery wasn't permitted, but servants in Nanai had nowhere to go except over the cliffs to the sea.

"These horses handled an all day forced march with no complaint and I could steer them without a problem. I'm not selling you broken nags!" A stern man's voice caught Castillon's attention. He turned towards the voice.

"Yeah, everyone who tries to sell a horse here has the finest of stallions." The burly, gruff voice of the stable master returned. Castillon peeked around the corner.

"There's another stable right nearby. I'm sure they'd rather buy." The customer started to walk away, and Castillon met his gaze for the first time.

_Such a...pretty man. _Slightly scruffy, maybe a few days of beard, long sideburns. Stern eyes, the hint between yellow and green. Red hair, just like the many princes.

_In fact..._Castillon squinted. It was one of the Princes. The youngest, Hans. The one on trial for trying to murder that wretched Arendelle queen.

There was talk that the queen and her entourage who came to the capital murdered King Elias. There was more talk she died at sea on the way back home. But all of that stock didn't matter. Let Arendelle rage their war: Nanai was impregnable to assault, it was on the ocean and secret passages built in the cliffside were the only way in and out. And there were precious few that knew it's secrets outside of the villa.

Besides, all that mattered was his pleasure. He was getting bored with the servants, they were too coyed and submissive. All the same, scurrying about, praying they wouldn't get tossed over the cliffs. How silly, they all went over eventually.

Hans was a proud prince, a royal. But he was also a criminal, which meant no one would care what happened to him. He could drown at sea, live in the wilderness, or be trapped somewhere no one would find him.

_And he would not bend so easily. To commit regicide, even to fail, requires will. Breaking him...breaking a royal, forcing him to submit to me or be killed. He was always the handsomest of those princes. _

The other manservants and maidservants didn't thrill his loins anymore. He had to force himself to use them. So much for pleasure slaves.

But Hans? Castillon could feel it. He's never had a prince as his slave: No one had. One way or another, Hans would be an amusing diversion. And without his horses, he'd be stuck here until he bought passage on a ship. But night was about to fall, no ships would sail until tomorrow.

Castillon whispered into the ear of a guard, and slipped him a piece of silver.

"Tail that man. Tell me where he will sleep tonight. And anything else I need to know. Gold will follow if I get what I need." The guard nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Such guards were mercenary and easily bought. He'd have to be killed in order to prevent him from talking to anyone else, but for now, his feet and eyes would serve him. He'd best treasure that coin, it would be his last.

* * *

Hans had found Anna and Elsa fairly easily, and had enough money to rent rooms in an inexpensive inn. At Anna's insistence, he got a room for himself and the two women shared one. It would have been cheaper to do one, but he honestly didn't care. There was still enough silver to book a ship to Varisen tomorrow, not to mention a sword from the blacksmith. Finally, a decent weapon, those hunting spears really weren't going to cut it.

And the food! Real bread, cheese, mutton. Inn food was really just slop, but after two days of roots and apples, it was pretty fine slop.

After a quick rest, he knocked on Anna and Elsa's door just as the sun went down. Elsa was inside alone.

"Where's Anna?"

"She went down to eat. I figured it would be better if we went separately. We don't want to be noticed together." A sensible, but probably unnecessary, precaution. Still, it wouldn't hurt.

"We need to decide what we're going to do after we get back to Varisen. Right now, all we can prove is that we survived the shipwreck. It's not like we have any proof of what happened." Elsa rose a very good point. Hans could make accusations against Ferdinand, but the elder Prince would likely just pin in on Sebastian, or probably Harold, who was always petty and tried to advance himself. The sad part is, Hans would probably believe the same story, if he didn't know what he already knew.

"We'll have to find a way to reach Rickard." There had been no news of Rickard's death, and news of Laurent had spread quickly. More than likely, Ferdinand would be using his elder brother as a smokescreen. Two deaths, the King and his heir, done on the same day, was very suspicious. The people would be looking at who would benefit the most, if they wanted a scapegoat. Rickard could be lynched by a bloodthirsty mob, or make an effective puppet ruler. Either way, Ferdinand wouldn't consider him a direct threat.

"Do you think he'll help us?" Elsa sat down on her bed.

"Rickard is a very weak-willed ruler. He's easy to manipulate and driven by short-term gain. It won't be that hard to convince him. I'd be more concerned for our direct safety: We know too much."

"How can you live like this, Hans? All these assassinations, it's..."

"You were shut inside a palace, you just didn't have to deal with it." It must have been nice if you could choose everyone that worked there, rather than having "appointments" as endless political favors for people Hans didn't know. "Part of being a ruler is dealing with the people who want your power and riches. It's just something that happens." She really was a sheltered princess, in so many ways.

"So, there was something else I wanted to..." Elsa turned to ask him another question, but she heard a tumult from downstairs. A fight? Anna was down there. Elsa stood up to go and see. Hans, however, held up his hand for her to be silent. He crouched down by the door.

"Find the witches!" Was a phrase Elsa heard, and she paled. Did someone see her accidentally freeze the water in the fountain? Did Hans, with those fire powers he didn't fully understand and control, unleash another small fire when he went to see the horses? Or did anyone follow them from that farming village?

Too many guesses, and Hans moved to the window and looked outside.

"No torches." He saw. "They aren't around that side of the inn."

"You...want us to jump out the window?"

"The roof is right there, it'll be a slight drop."

"What about Anna, she's not here yet?"

"Anna doesn't have witchcraft, and won't interest anyone. Besides, we can always get out and come back later. She's got something of a head on her shoulders, she thinks quickly on her feet. She'll be fine for the time being while we disappear. We'll come right back, I'm pretty sure." Elsa took a furtive look towards the door.

"You won't do Anna any good if you're captured by someone." Hans reminded her. Meekly, she nodded. Hans opened the window, climbed out, and helped her escape.


	17. Midnight Streets

It wasn't what she was used to eating, but Anna was so hungry, she didn't care. It would have been nice to eat with Elsa, but she insisted all three of them eat alone, and Hans had agreed. If Elsa hadn't proposed it, Anna thought Hans would have been up to something.

"We don't want to attract attention." Elsa had said to her so many times. Anna supposed that was true, so she ate by herself. She wasn't sure how she would "attract attention", a very loud group of men were drinking at the bar, and the women working behind the bar looked agitated with them. Another man was more interested in the woman, and scowling at the other men's loud antics.

It was just so eeriely reminiscent of nights after her parents died, when Elsa would not emerge from her room.

Just as Anna was mostly through her meal, she heard the door open, and in stepped a number of armored men, flanked by a man without a helmet, a very handsome man with dark hair.

"Captain Reynault?" The innkeeper looked over at the man.

"Spread out." The captain said to his men.

"What is going on here?" With a scowl on his face, the innkeeper called to the captain.

"We have reports there are witches hiding in this inn." When the captain spoke, Anna paled. They could only mean Elsa or Hans. How could they have figured out where they were, much less that they had magic. As far as Anna knew, Elsa hadn't done anything to draw attention about Elsa's magic.

"Witches!" The innkeeper was incredulous, but Anna could see his eyes widen in fear. Was magic truly so prosecuted around here? Hans certainly seemed to think so.

How did these people know how to look for people with magic? Ana didn't know of a way, but this journey had been telling Anna she really didn't know a lot about anything. Even if they couldn't figure out that Elsa and Hans had magic, they would find him, and that was just as bad.

_Okay, I've got to keep them from going upstairs. _

"Come on, Cappy." One of the large men drinking at the bar. "Don't be stupid about witches and...witches." He was clearly drunk, barely able to stand and move.

"Ah, Grayson. The mercenary life suiting you well? Looks like you've got the drinking part down. Keep the ruckus to a minimum, I'm on an assignment." For his part, the Captain didn't seem impressed.

"Always doing the duty. She's not a fun mistress. Best to get yerself one of flesh and blood. She does much better things." The drunk man said to cheers from his crowd of probably fellow mercenaries, and to the scowl of the women working the bar.

The big man had a history with the captain, but more importantly, the captain said he'd have to stop them if they got too rowdy.

_Rowdy...Rowdy... _Anna left her table and went over to the bar. She didn't have much time, she could see the innkeeper still talking to the captain, but the rest of the men were starting to move around.

One of the men next to her slammed down his mug of ale right next to her, and Anna watched it splash a bit. She pushed it away from her, it smelled terrible even from this distance.

_What could I use, what could I..._

"Hey! Don't steal my ale, you little..." The man next to her looked down, and saw his mug wasn't where he left it. In her thoughts, Anna realized she had pushed it in the other direction, towards a different man.

"I didn't steal anything you..." The man turned around, but barely got to speak before the first man punched him in the face. He started to fight back, and Anna ducked under the bar stools in order to avoid it. Several others started fighting as Anna crawled underneath the bar. Eventually, when she reached the other side, the guards were attempting to break things up, and the mercenaries were more than happy to fight them.

_Wow. _And all she did was push a mug away from her. It wasn't a good feeling, she hoped that man the drunk guy hit wasn't hurt. But those guards were distracted, and she couldn't let it go to waste.

She headed upstairs to hers and Elsa's rooms and found it empty. Hans's room, too, was completely deserted. Were they hiding? The window in Elsa's room was open, she must have gotten away.

Good. At least they were safe, for now. She didn't want to be questioned by these soldiers, and besides, Elsa might need her help. She climbed out the window and hoped for a sign to follow them.

* * *

Elsa and Hans ran from the inn and into the street, stopping some bit away to catch their breath.

"How could they have found us?" She asked between gasps for breath.

"I doubt they were looking for us, at least, not for the reasons they said."

"Huh?" Elsa had definitely heard them mention magic.

"If they had mentioned they were looking for fugitives, the innkeeper would have protested more, and slowed him down. No one, however, wants to be thought of as hiding magic. It's probably just a way that guard used to get his job done quicker."

"So, only you would have needed to hide. What would we have to fear?"

"If you haven't noticed, Queen Elsa, your appearance isn't exactly mundane. You are a royal, you wouldn't bear close scrutiny." Perhaps that was true.

Torches started to move near the inn. They must have been extending the search to the street.

"Maybe I could make one of my snow golems." It wouldn't take too long, and the darkness would give her some cover for enough time to make it. They were nigh indestructible.

"That isn't a good idea. That would prove someone actually did have magic, and bring the entire army here in force. There's only a few guards chasing us, and we should keep it that way." Hans shrugged. "It would be better if..."

"Hey, you two! Over there!" A loud shouting voice came from afar, and two torches in the distance started moving towards them.

"Great. No choice now." Hans growled, and reached for his sword, but stopped. Elsa could hear the clang-clang of iron boots nearby that told them it was more than just two torches of people. Hans took his hand away from his blade.

"Too many. Run!" Hans grabbed her hand and started to run in the other direction. Away from the inn, away from Anna. Elsa didn't like it, but she couldn't do much about it.

"They'll catch us on the street, there's too many of them." After the two of them ran towards a split in the street, they stopped for a moment. The torches weren't any closer; that armor made the soldiers a lot slower, but there were more of them, and they knew this place better.

"Yeah. We should try to lose them in an alleyway. Let's split up, it's easier for one person to run and hide than two. We'll meet back at the inn when we get a chance, they won't go back there to look."

"What about Anna?"

"She can avoid suspicion even if she does get caught. We can't. Let's deal with ourselves first. Now run!" Hans took the left path, and soon disappeared down a nearby alleyway.

All alone again, and with none of the freedom of last time. Elsa shook her head, and took the path to the right. She sprinted down the street for a time, but the second she saw torches ahead of her, she looked around for an alleyway to duck into.

_There! _She immediately ran for it, dashing as far as she could. The torches didn't come into view, but she wasn't about to chance it: She ran further into the alley. Once she past a turn, she figured she'd be safe, and rested to catch her breath.

_I can't believe it. Hans said it was probably not because of our magic. If so, then what? Did...someone notice us? Were they trying to arrest Hans? Or me? Or did we get mixed up in something completely unrelated. It would be just my luck. _

Elsa had finally caught her breath, but the lack of torches here in the alley compared to the street made it nearly pitch black outside. Did a cloud go by? There was a moon out tonight, so Elsa figured she could wait for a moment.

"Well, well. Lookie what we got here tonight, gents! A little lady, all alone." A laughing voice from out of the dark drained the color from Elsa's face, and she was pretty sure her luck, as bad as it was, could've always gotten worse.

* * *

Hans could hear the guards behind him as he ran down the alleyway. How could they be moving so fast, they were armored?

He stopped for a second. Maybe here, in the alleyway, with less room for multiple opponents to flank him, he could fight them. He reached for his sword, and as he turned, he noticed a barrel full of dried goods sitting next to him.

More footsteps, getting closer. Even one-on-one, he was exhausted, it'd been a long day and, while he was confident in his swordsmanship, he wasn't confident in at least three foes.

"I see someone there!" A voice called. Crap! Hans tried to turn, but he didn't get far before the barrel erupted into a bright billow of flame.

_I...didn't do that. Or try to. _Hans scampered away again. As he continued to run, he could hear the fire starting to spread.

_Or...am I doing that to other flammable things as I run by?_ The glow seemed to be too close for that, although Hans certainly wasn't going to stick around and check.Elsa caught ice just by touching the water when she ran away, and right now, he was probably just as agitated as she was. He continued to run: The buildings here were only partially wooden, and the fires weren't that large. They could be dealt with, very easily. Hans just continued to run.

There was no one following him when the alley gave way to a street. Hans saw he was at the docks. Many unsavory types lurked here, this was the smuggling hour, after all, but Hans had a sword with him, he should be all right. Besides, they didn't like guards on their territory, they wouldn't care about a lone man.

Hans took a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't see large fires, so it probably didn't spread much.

_Good. _That fire magic was a rabid beast he could barely muzzle. But more oddly, Hans was right next to that blast, and his skin didn't burn or blister, he was only flush from exerting himself. He supposed that, just like Elsa, he was immune to the ill effects of his own power.

_I wonder if that extends to normal fire? _A gruff seaman brushed past him, and Hans could feel a slight nick in his leg. Ruffians. Hans started to head back. It looked like the soldiers had given up the chase. They would have found nothing in the inn, then they could head back, get what sleep they could out of the night, and head back to Varisen. They should back there by tomorrow evening, and could figure out what to do on the ride...

Hans felt a slow pain spread through his leg. He must have injured it during his flight, it wouldn't move when he tried to walk. At once he felt his knees buckle, and it became much harder to breathe.

_Was it a poison? _He looked around. He had eaten hours ago, so it couldn't have been the food or the ale he drank. It could only be...that nick from just now, a quick...

"Oh, my, it really is Prince Hans." He heard the stern gruff voice of a seaman behind him, and Hans tried to look, but he couldn't tilt his neck.

"Lord Eddelbreck requests a meeting." Hans could feel a strong arm wrap around his waist, and at once, he was lofted into the sky, and hefted on someone's shoulder, as if he weighed nothing at all. Lord Eddelbreck knew he was here? If that man wanted Hans dead, he wouldn't have done something like this, but...whatever he wanted, it couldn't be good. He tried to move in protest, but all of his limbs failed to function. He couldn't even point at the man and use the magic to try and defend himself: From all he'd seen of it so far, he needed to point in the direction he wished to do it.

A few seconds later, Hans thought that, perhaps, he could immolate his own clothes, since his skin didn't seem to burn. But before he could muster up the thought to do that, he felt his consciousness slipping away.

* * *

Anna ran towards the gates of the city. As she was running, though, she could hear the uneven footsteps of someone behind her. When she stopped, though, they stopped as well. Was she being followed?

What should she do? It obviously wasn't those guards from back at the inn, they'd have just come up to her. Was this someone who wanted something else. She moved towards a torch and waited there, hoping the bright light would care the man away.

She heard nothing for the longest time. Anna looked at her surroundings, trying to see if, maybe, there was a safe place she could get to, a place with lots of people and light. Even the guards: Those people who came around were interested in witches, not a lost little girl who thought she was being followed. Maybe she could ask one of them to escort her. She still had some coins left over: Hans had given her the money for the meal, and that tumult in the inn happened before she could pay. Surely a guard would do that for a silver.

There was an outpost not far, and torches lined the way, like bright islands to follow. Anna would dash for them, get her breath, and get the guards.

_Good plan. _Anna dashed for the next torch, but didn't hear the person behind her move. Had they given up? Anna wouldn't chance it. She started to make her dash for the next torch, but bounced off of something, or someone, and fell to the ground back into the torchlight.

It was a person, it felt like one, and Anna could see them in the dim light of the lantern.

"I knew it was you." It was a man, and he sounded quite excited. Anna took a few steps back in fear.

"Don't be afraid. I just wanted to talk to you somewhere alone." The man called, and he took a step forward, closer into the light. Anna didn't recognize the man.

"Princess Anna. I'm relieved to see you well, my lady." He bowed on one knee, and kissed her hand.


	18. Bitter Dawn

"Lookie lookie." Elsa held her breath as she could see a few torches go up beside her, illuminating faces, with eyes wide in excitement.

"We gots ourselves a little stray. Lost little girl, all alone." She could hear footsteps surrounding her. They were a circle, cutting off any escape.

"I did not mean to interfere. Allow me to pass and I shall trouble you no further." Elsa wasn't certain that would work, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Nah, you see, it is trouble. No normal person walks through Shadow Alley at night. And not a supple lass like yourself."

"I am not helpless." Sweat formed on Elsa's brow, and she was quite certain there would be ice forming on anything she touched.

"I'm sure. But that's okay. I like it when they fight." She could hear a man next to her lunge, and grab her by the wrist. Instinctively, Elsa twisted her arm. At once, a billow of ice extended from her fingertips, and hit the man in the wrist and head.

"Agh!" He staggered backward, and out of torchlight, but she could hear him slump against the wall.

"Witchcraft!" A voice shrieked, and it took Elsa a second to realize it was actually another man.

_I didn't even know a man's voice went that high. _She could hear some of the people around her give her a wider berth. Some fled, but she was still surrounded.

"It's her! The one they talked about! The Snow Queen!" The shrieking voice's fear matched Elsa's own

"Leave me be!" She commanded the shadows. She didn't hit the man in the heart, and the trolls were able to fix that. True love wasn't necessary for that.

"She's just one witch. Prince Sebastian killed two at the same time." A stern voice commanded the rest of them.

_What to do. What to do. _She knew Hans had cautioned her not to use her magic, but it was too late for that. Besides, fear was the only thing these men understood. It was an emotion Elsa knew well, and she knew what it did to someone, and what it did, was what she needed.

She breathed, held her hands up, and snow started to swirl around into a vaguely human shaped form. When a quick nod, the eyes in the snow golem started to glow blue, and immediately it charged the men. Even the torches didn't faze it.

The other thieves started screaming, and Elsa could hear them running away, the golem chasing them into the narrow alleyways. She wondered if the guards would catch them, then caught her breath for a minute, to make sure she was alone.

"Well. Look at that." After a few seconds of silence, Elsa could hear a woman speaking now.

"What a marvel. Creativity and power in equal measure. I was right to look at you." Hearing the voice again made Elsa realize it was the same voice that had spoken to her back at Stormwrack Keep: The crazy sounding old woman, that might have been the one to put Anna in the palace in the first place.

There was no way she could have been followed: They would have seen someone following them on the road to Kippelvost.

"What are you!" Elsa's nerves caused an ice blast to hit a window, covering it in rime. The voice did not speak back. And, as Elsa took a few more furtive steps out of the alley, she didn't hear the voice again.

_I can't be going crazy, can I? _Elsa started to walk back towards the inn. She didn't see any more torches, and, according to Hans, they wouldn't go back to search it once they had finished.

She could see a large mess in the inn common room, and she could hear the innkeeper muttering about a tankard of ale "commissioned" by the soldiers.

Upstairs in her room, neither Anna nor Hans had returned. Elsa started to go back outside to search, but her feet were moving sluggishly, she could barely keep her eyes open.

Although she didn't like the idea, she needed to sleep. She could look for Anna in the morning. And Hans, too. Although it was odd to think, he had helped her today, through his combination of bluffs and quick thinking. She'd done much herself: Used her powers in ways she hadn't thought of before. Creepy as that voice she kept hearing was, creativity stretched the limits of her power, as it seemed to imply.

He did help her, though. She would not leave him to whatever fate befell him, not now. Otherwise, how was she better than him?

Elsa put the candle out in her room, and fell asleep. She would search in the morning, if they didn't come back already. But for now, she prayed.

* * *

"P-Pardon me, your Highness, I was just overcome." The man who had kissed Anna's hand stood up, and bowed to her.

"Finnegan Carradine, spymaster of Arendelle. I had no idea you were alive, my Princess. Oh, truly the gods have heard our prayers."

"I...why are you here?" Anna tilted her head. Spymaster? What was a spymaster?

"Your Highness, the nobles convened after we believed you dead. Lady Rialto and the other nobles urged war to punish the Southern Isles for their treachery. But their treachery has proven weak, for you cling to life!" The man cheers was warming.

But all of that talk of treachery meant Hans was right about that war brewing."

"There's no need for a war, ummm, Sir Carradine."

"Please, Your Highness, just call me Finn. Did your sister fare as you did?"

"She's here with me, we just got separated." Anna looked around, hoping that, perhaps saying her sister's name would compel her to come. But alas, she did not.

"Separated? How?"

"There were a bunch of guards, but more importantly..."

"Guards?" Finn grabbed Anna's hands even tighter. "They were trying to kill you even still? This nation is as foul as it's princes. I should get you to our encampment immediately, you'll be safe there."

"But Elsa..." Anna kept trying to talk, but Finn didn't seem to acknowledge her now. He simply led her along the wall, through the town. When he came to another guard post, much like the one Anna tried to run to before Finn found her, he knocked on the door two times very quickly, and then two more much slower. The door opened slowly.

"Is there a crime to report?" A man's voice came from inside.

"I went shopping at night, and I found a lost goddess." Finn returned. Was that some sort of code-word? The door opened wider, and Finn escorted Anna inside.

"You've been out late, Finn. I thought you were caught." The man, a broad-shouldered older man with a full white beard, leaned against the wall. Anna blinked, she thought she had seen the man before.

"Princess Anna?" The man nearly shouted, and, as Anna squinted, she realized she did know him. This was General Solas, who managed the armies. Anna knew him, as she knew everyone inside the castle: He'd answer any questions she had, and was very polite to her, but she always got the sense that he was greatly aggravated whenever he did so. As if a general did not answer to a princess. Eventually, she just learned to ask only when she needed to: It wasn't as if Arendelle was involved in any wars.

_Although that seems to change, if he is here. _

"Greetings, General. As you can see, Princess Anna is alive and well. The guards here tried to kill her and Queen Elsa, and they got separated, but according to the Princess, the Queen is alive."

"That's...wonderful!" The General seemed to be at a loss for words, did he truly expect them dead?

_Well, if it wasn't for Elsa, and Hans, I probably would be. _

"We'll get you to our camp, Princess. You can sleep soundly there. Rest assured we won't let the Southern Isles do any more to you than they already have." Finn bent on one knee once again, and called for an escort.

"She can have my tent. I'll have to stay up and plan the assault anyway." Finn called to the soldiers. Assault? They were actually attacking?

"Wait!" She called. "Elsa. She's still here, you can't attack this place."

"We will make sure of the safety of our Queen, but we must move fast. We cannot let them get to her. Leave this to us, Princess. We know what to do." The general waved his hands, and Anna was led off.

"Come to me in the morning and consult with me before anything is done that isn't searching for my sister." She ordered. With Elsa not around, she had to act like the queen. It was the only way people listened. She wasn't a kid anymore, no matter what the General thought. And she would make sure, in battle or in peace, that things were done correctly. As Elsa, and her father, would have done.

* * *

When Hans finally started to come too, the first thing he noticed was a very sharp pain in his neck.

It was pitch black where he was, and his arms still felt sluggish, so he tried to move them. As he got his hand to his neck, he realized there was...something metal clamped around it.

Hans tried to swallow, and noticed that, whatever it was, it cut into his throat whenever he did. What was the purpose of that? It wasn't like it was attached to the wall.

Hans tried to feel how large this metal thing was, and as he did, he noticed there was nothing on his chest but air. In fact, someone had taken every stitch of his clothes.

And then he remembered, the docks, the sailor, and the name of Lord Eddelbrek, who wanted to see him. Did that mean Hans was on Nanai?

_And not for a friendly meeting, although friendly meeting has a different meaning to that depraved lunatic. _It would also explain his lack of clothes: Rumors always abounded about the man, that Castillon Eddelbrek lived a depraved existence and barely left his palace, only doing so to capture beautiful women and handsome men alike and keep them in this palace, using them until he bored of them and threw them from the cliffs.

It was just a story: Hans knew some even more strange with other nobles. He had looked into it when he was a younger man, figuring the man a criminal. The guards told him nothing, he couldn't find anyone else willing to talk, and eventually, both Father and Laurent had put a stop to it

"Lord Eddelbrek is a blessed pillar of the nobility, with a line as far back as our own. Never take the word of the unwashed over him." Father had said while scolding him. Laurent settled for simply punching him with gauntlet-covered hands repeatedly once Father had left the room, mocking him all the while, that even if it was true, the "filth" should consider themselves grateful to serve their betters, as was their place.

_I was nine years old, then, and sobbed like a girl until he stopped. Never did it again. _And now, Hans was paying the price for his own cowardice: Captured to the man he gave up trying to bring to justice.

The door opened next to him, and bright light flooded Hans's vision. After his eyes adjusted, he saw two figures towering over him. One was someone he didn't know. The other, the unmistakably gigantic Lord Eddelbrek.

"Well." Eddelbrek looked Hans over, keeping his eyes lingering in all of the wrong places. Hans knew he'd been scrutinized by many people before: Anna had been the latest in a string of women, of course, she had been the only one close to a throne. Good looks were a weapon to be cultivated used, and, similar to Elsa's magic, something he was born with, and not everyone had.

_Just ask Ferdinand. _ Now, it was working against him.

"Lord Eddelbrek." Hans tried to hide his displeasure, although he doubted he was doing a good job. Eddelbrek motioned to the other man, who grabbed Hans and forced him to his feet.

"What a pleasure to receive such a wonderful visitor. I've rarely entertained a fugitive, but the whole prospect is...exciting." Eddelbrek kept looking Hans over as he spoke. And Hans bit his tongue: He knew the way to act when others had power over his life. They could kill for any excuse, even if they conjured one from nothing. Best not to give them one.

"Chain him." Eddelbrek told the other man, who roughly grabbed Hans's wrist and closed an iron shackle around it. He did the same to his other wrist, and connected the two with an iron chain. Enough room to move, but barely. He secured the restraints, and passed the key to Eddelbrek.

"You are mine, now." Eddelbrek grabbed him with his oily fat fingers by the chin, and forced him to look into the Lord's beady eyes.

"You'll do whatever I wish, when I wish it. Whatever you might been, fugitive or Prince, now, all you do and all you are, is mine. I..." And he took one last look down south. "Look forward to it. It is morning now. Have him cleaned up and he will prepare my morning meal. I will have it in the garden, and there will be other uses later." Eddelbrek left without saying another word, bringing another guard inside.

"Move it, slave." The new guard dragged him out of the cell. "Follow me and stay quiet." Hans kept his mouth shut. He could see both guards had swords hanging from their belts. Hans wondered if he could grab it, but remembered his hands were still shackled together. He wouldn't be able to fight with his hands locked together.

_Not to mention, I don't know how to escape this place. _The cliffs at Nanai were hundreds of feet up. How did Eddelbrek get down?

Being captured here, Hans already knew just from his meeting with Eddelbrek, would probably be one of the most trying things in his entire life. Escape was the only option, but escape from here could not be done randomly. Eddelbrek had lived at Nanai for over thirty years, Hans couldn't have been the first person to try and escape. And if someone had succeeded, he would have had more than just rumors to look into back when he was a child.

The guard behind him rammed him, and forced him to move faster.


	19. The Gardens of Nanai

At least they gave Hans a pair of braies to wear. They were tighter than he liked, and only went a fraction of the way down his thigh, but complaining right now would invite more trouble than it would solve. The guards seemed to think Hans would know nothing of domestic tasks, they were laughing when he was told to prepare Eddelbrek's breakfast.

_Obviously, they've never been to the palace before. _When his brothers had played their game of invisibility, they had insisted it extended to the servants, and ordered them not to attend to him. It was a very lucky day when he could get a servant to attend to even a basic necessity. If Hans hadn't prepared food himself, and eaten in the servant's kitchen, he might have starved in those two years.

_And besides, we didn't have servants on hunting trips. Or at least, I wasn't allowed any. _Hans prepared a breakfast of potatoes and cheese, brioche with honey, and tea.

_I doubt he'll even taste it. I've seen how large he is, he probably just shovels it down. _But Hans placed the food on a serving tray, and was escorted to the garden.

There were a number of other people, men and women, in the garden, too. Scantily clad and with shackles on their wrists, just like Hans himself. More servants. In fact, as Hans looked around, the only people without chains on their wrists were the guards, and Eddelbrek himself. No guests at all. Hardly surprising considering the kidnapping. A guest would see a missing person he knew eventually.

The other servants, clearly surprised at seeing the royal stripped down and serving just like the rest of them, gave him a wide berth. He placed the meal in front of Lord Eddelbrek.

"Off with you. Stay in the garden. Watch the fun." He barely regarded the food, and instead watched the captives.

"My food is here. Amuse me." He shouted out the captives, and began to stuff his face. At once, the captives started frolicing around. The men would chase the women, and they'd dart around. Sometimes, they would catch each other. They began kissing and rolling around in the dirt. And through it all, Eddelbrek watched. And he laughed the whole time.

It was hard to suppress the growl in Hans's throat. There were walkways here lined with gold leaf. His eating utensils were pure silver, and lined with sapphires. His money alone could finance irrigation, city walls, and pave the roads of all the major trade highways. With all that, the money spent could be made back in three years, maximum. And instead he ate from golden plates, and kidnapped and forced them to be captive actors in his perverse lust plays.

Just as Hans tried to avert his gaze to a pair of captives pawing at each other, a rosebush right next to Eddelbrek erupt into flames.

_Should've figured this wouldn't be good for that. _The old man screeched like a child and ran from it. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and it was fairly quick for someone to drench the bush with water.

Beside him, Hans could hear someone laughing. The whole thing was pretty funny, but Hans knew better than to laugh at a time like this.

"Who was that?" The man stood up, sweat pouring from brow profusely, his face ashen like it was covered in theater makeup.

"Who was laughing?"

"Him!" One of the guards roughly grabbed another guard, and threw him towards the ground. He was trying, and failing, to repress laughter, but he stopped once he was front and center for attention. The man gave up his fellow so quickly: Was loyalty that capricious on Nanai? Possibly, but Hans figured it was probably both men who were laughing, and the guilty fellow sold out a compatriot to avoid punishment.

"I know you." Eddelbrek scowled. "You're the whipper. The slaves fear and hate you. You do good work." Eddelbrek took a few steps back. Hans could see a smile form on the guard's face.

"Take his armor." Eddelbrek waved, and at once, two guards grabbed the man and hastily stripped off every piece of armor and his sword.

"He has four limbs. For each man-slave who breaks them, he returns to his quarters for rest of the day." Hans didn't understand what the command meant very well, but the others sure seemed to. At once, the men started bashing the now-helpless guard, kicking him repeatedly. Violence and death were no strangers to Hans, but this was savage. He could see it in the men's eyes, however, their savagery was borne from months, if not years, of powerlessness and abuse. It didn't take long for Eddelbrek to motion the mob away. The man's arms and legs were bent in odd places, and he lay on the ground, moaning in obvious pain. He was still conscious?

"Laugh, everyone. It is funny and should be enjoyed." The lord commanded. The slaves started to laugh at the broken man. And Hans laughed too, he knew better than to displease his "host". After that, two of the guards picked up the broken man and threw him over the cliffs.

Eddelbrek tilted his head. "Hmph. No screaming? Why was he not screaming?" He started to frown profusely.

"You." Eddelbrek pointed towards another man, dressed as a slave. At one, the same two guards who stripped the guard of armor flanked him, and seized his arms.

"Maybe you will scream. Dispose of him." Hans watched as the slave was punched, brought to his knees, and thrown over right after the guard, screaming all the while. And Eddelbrek smiled the whole time.

Hans couldn't even speak. Killing was not some wanton act, it was used for a purpose. Killing enemies, saving your own life, and removing threats to power. This? What threat was a random servant, who couldn't even fight back? Or much of anything, since his wrists were shackled.

_Breathe, Hans. _He didn't want to attract attention, or let his powers trigger again. Eddelbrek left for the villa, and the rest of the slaves congregated together. Hans didn't want to talk to them; they already knew who he was, and talking about it would be pointless.

He needed to figure out how to get out of here.

* * *

When Elsa awoke the next morning, neither Anna nor Hans had returned. Worry crept inside her as she headed downstairs to the common room. For a second, she thought to ask the innkeeper if he had seen them, but stopped. He was raided last night, and probably would think anyone who disappeared last night was taken by the guards. The supposed witches.

If it wasn't so frightening, it might have been hilarious. She, the witch who cursed Arendelle in ternal winter and even used her powers against street punks last night, was out scot-free, and Anna, who knew nothing of powers, was missing.

She needed to find her, but Elsa had no idea where to start. A few guests were coming in for morning meals, and they were quite loud.

Elsa wanted to leave, but taverns were hotbeds of gossip. Every adventure novel started in a tavern, chasing rumors of treasure.

Anna had most of the money, but Elsa still had some of it. Enough to get a light meal, and listen.

"Whites were out in force last night. Heard `em running through the alleys. Cleaning the street rats?" One man was talking to another at a table nearby. Did "whites" mean guards? What little she saw of the guards was obscured by darkness, but she thought she remembered them wearing white earlier.

"Nah, wasn't the whites. Personal force. Think they nabbed some traveler. Redhead." Red hair? Anna's hair was red, red-ish.

"What?" Elsa shouted, and both men stopped to face her. Elsa's face started to flush, she didn't think she'd be so obvious.

"We shouldn't talk." The guys started to stand up.

"No!" Elsa slammed her fist on the table, startling the men. Both of them were much bigger than she was, she'd never be able to intimidate them through force alone. And yet, she had no other options she knew of. Maybe there'd be others, but she wasn't about to let one go for the chance that there might be someone else. She stared at one of the men and glared at him, fiercely as she could muster.

"Err." The man looked around nervously. "It's not like anything, lady. It's..." And without another word, the man bolted from his seat. She was about to turn around to the other man, but he too, started to run.

Elsa knew she should leave, before the innkeeper threw her out. Or before an angry outburst froze all of the water in the mugs. Outside, the bazaar was as full of hawkers as it was yesterday. She started to walk and see if she could find any other common rooms or other gathering places.

While there was plenty of commotion among the docks, most of it was unloading catches of the day and other trading ships. As Elsa walked through, and turned back towards the more residential section of town. It was where Hans had disappeared last night, there might have been something that showed where he went.

She peered down the alleyway and saw a number of burned barrels.

_And he lectured me on my magic. _Perhaps Elsa was being harsh: Yesterday night was stressful, but still, her magic could only hurt someone if she hit them with ice. Fire...was not so forgiving.

As she looked, she felt a tug on her left hand. She jumped back in shock, only to exhale when she noticed it was a very small child, maybe around six or seven, covered in dirt and tattered rags.

_Poor kid. _He must have been a street urchin.

"Hi, pretty lady!" He didn't seem very down about it, though

"Hello, little boy. Are you lost?"

"Nope!" The boy grinned, and Elsa could see him missing several teeth. "I know where I'm going, I found you!"

"That's very sweet. But I think maybe you should get back home." Elsa gently freed her hand from the boy. "Perhaps I can pick you up an apple and a..."

"I saw you this morning, at Grovost's. You were the only one who actually said something about the Shadow Squad."

"Shadow Squad?" Elsa frowned. Was she referring to the late-night "guard" raid the men at the tavern were talking about? The guards who weren't actual guards?

"Come on, you gotta come with me before they find you. You'll be safe with me, and maybe you can help us!" The boy started tugging on her. Elsa was pretty sure there was something wrong with this kid. In all the books she read, something like this, would have been a trap.

But the way the men at the inn paled, and refused to talk to her about it...And Anna, and Hans, hadn't returned. They could have had one, or even both, of them. Something was wrong, and Elsa had no leads to look into in order to find them.

Besides, if it was a trap, she still had her power. She could blow through it with another of her snow golems, if she needed to.

Trap or no trap, until Anna was back by her side, she wasn't going to stop trying to find her.


	20. Preparations

The boy led Elsa to a very old, forgotten iron door that led to an even older catacombs. Decaying bones on the wall and cobwebs everywhere made Elsa uneasy.

This boy...lived down here? There was a path, or at least, something not overgrown by the webs. He clearly came down here, although why would be anyone's guess.

After turning through twist upon twist, the catacombs finally gave way to a large open area. Elsa could hear water flowing nearby, through gratings on the nearby walls and into the floor. Was this part of an aqueduct?

"Katrien, I'm back!" The boy called. Elsa could hear people shuffling around.

"Good. Get a score today?" The boy walked up to a much older woman, with slight tingles of gray in her hair.

"Not exactly. I found her!" The boy waved towards Elsa. "She can help us!"

"What? This isn't about your mother again, is it?" The older woman, Katrien, scowled at the boy. "I told you..."

"You say all the time!" The boy interrupted and smartly talked back. He was like Anna in so many ways. "You know how to get there, and the secret passage and all, and you say you'll do it when I bring enough money and it never happens!"

"Excuse me." Elsa found a moment between their argument, and started to speak. "What is going on here?"

"You were looking for the Shadow Squad." The boy smiled, and turned to her.

"You mentioned that earlier. Who are they?"

"They're Lord Eddelbrek's private goons. Sometimes, they take people off the streets and bring them to that palace on the island. And they never come back, and no one seems to care. Until you." The boy kicked the ground.

"And...one of those people was your mother?"

"Yeah." The little boy sniffed. "She's been gone a year. But she can't be gone! I lived on the street and found Katrien's people. They know how to get in there, but they said they needed money first."

"It takes more than what you think. And you've brought a stranger into our lair. What if she is with the guards? You can't just run off and do what you please!" Katrien's words stung Elsa a bit, even if they weren't directed at her. It was just like when Hans criticized her for her actions at Arendelle. Running away from her problems.

She didn't care to be judged by him, but the words did sting.

"I am not with the guards. And you can't blame a boy for wanting his mother." Elsa stepped between the two. "If this...Shadow Squad truly abducted my sister, then I need to get her back immediately."

"Oh?" Katrien seemed none too pleased. "And what makes you so special?"

Elsa scowled, and, with a flick of her wrist, froze some of the flowing water nearby.

"What the-" Katrien took a step back. "You! You're the witch from last night!" So this woman was part of the group of thugs in the alleyway? Elsa supposed they'd meet in a forgotten place like this one. Thieves couldn't meet honestly.

"You're the Snow Witch of Arendelle!" The little boy screamed, but his sound was more of delight than of fear. "You could freeze that Lord Eddelbrek with just a thought! You can save my mom, I know it! You have to do it, Katrien. Lord Eddelbrek is bound to have gold at his place like any noble."

Katrien frowned for a moment, and was deep in thought. Greed meant more to this woman than lives. Elsa looked around at the other people in the room, and they were giving her a wide berth, just like last night.

"Very well, I'm not about to fight a witch. We go at sundown. But we get claims on the treasure."

"And travel to Varisen once we're done there. For three people, including me." Elsa made sure to secure ship travel, which Katrien agreed. She'd have to find Hans too, but perhaps those thieves could keep an eye out for him. She would need him in Varisen to deal with this conspiracy: It wouldn't do to have them try to kill her again on her way back to Arendelle. They might have learned from their mistakes.

* * *

"And there's been no sign since then?" Tobias decided they needed to have another Prince's Council. Where there were once thirteen princes, four less now graced the table. Laurent was dead, Sebastian had supposedly perished in the shipwreck that Tobias had called this Council to discuss, Harold was nowhere to be found. And the last, Hans, had also disappeared. But he was supposedly in prison. However, the morning Queen Elsa and her retinue left with Sebastian to return to Arendelle, Hans had disappeared from his cell.

Tobias had wanted to tap his devious mind for strategies. For all his attempted regicide, Hans knew how to create a plot, and how to spot one. But now he had vanished.

"Hans is no longer in his cell." Tobias mentioned to the crowd, and quickly scrutinized their faces, particularly, those of Rickard, Ferdinand, and Alexander. The former two reacted with surprise and furrowed brow, Alexander only cocked an eyebrow with interest.

_His plot, then. _What was that merchant up too? Hans certainly couldn't bring in profit.

"Is that why you convened this Council? I knew this from earlier. The guards tell me much." For his part, Alexander covered his tracks well.

"No. I bring us here to discuss the shipwreck. Sebastian is presumed lost, as are both Arendelle royals. Arendelle will go to war over this."

"My scouts have said they have seen Arendelle near Kipplevost." Samuel, the Imperial Spymaster and a year younger than Sebastian, folded his arms across his chest. "Troops attempting to be incognito have a camp near the town."

"Kipplevost?" Conrad leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

_That's right, his wife lives in Kipplevost. _There was a military garrison not far from the town, right close to the Maurevar River. The garrison reported no unusual activity, but they didn't extend there search to the merchant town, it was staffed by guards, and Eddelbrek's private force. Needless to say, Eddelbrek didn't answer to the royal family, at least, not when he found it to be a bother. Which was often.

"If there were any survivors from that shipwreck, Kipplevost would be where the flotsam drifts." Tobias shut his eyes and started to speak poetically.

"You're right." Ferdinand crossed his arms across his chest. "We should send some forces to the garrison. If Samuel is correct, and there are troops, we should reinforce the garrison." Ferdinand gave the order, and Tobias turned to Rickard, who, technically, was in charge and should give such an order.

"I expect war one way or another, either with what Samuel finds, or once Arendelle marches. As such, Natan, I leave you in charge. Take another with you, you can choose who." For his part, the supposed ruler of the Isles just supported. Rickard was always weak-willed, but...was he truly allowing Ferdinand to call the shots? If he displayed such weakness, the now-second Prince would very easily trample all over him, and assume power, even if not in title.

Was that Rickard's plan? To simply be a figurehead? Or...was it Ferdinand's plan to keep him on the throne as a shield? Or...was it both of their plans? They weren't mutually exclusive.

"Natan, I will go." Tobias volunteered.

"No, me." Conrad slammed his fist on the table. Of course he would. His wife and child were there. In truth, Tobias had no desire to go to a war zone. But Ferdinand was clearly consolidating power, and he hadn't approached Tobias in secret at all. Which meant he considered Tobias a possible loose end, or rival. It would be better to be far away from the palace, if that was the case.

"We can both go. There's plenty of us still here to run the country." Tobias settled any argument before Ferdinand had the ability to make a choice. Rickard would accept anything proposed to him that seemed like a good idea.

* * *

It had taken all day, and when Finn searched the town, he saw no sign of Queen Elsa anywhere. And he was thorough, he searched inns, restaurants, even the temple. Not one sign of her.

Even his contact, a mole within the Kipplevost guards, told him she wasn't in the prisons. Someone matches her description had been seen in the mornings, but she disappeared by the docks and hadn't been seen since.

_What can I say to Princess Anna? _She cared so much about her sister. Even the revelation of her ice powers, which had shaken Finn's faith, could not deter her.

He found General Solas in his tent. Princess Anna was not with him.

"How goes your mission?"

"Vanished. No trace of her in the city."

"Could she have been taken to Nanai?"

"No." Finn shook his head, he had made sure that didn't happen, but the thought chilled him. The palace of Castillon Eddelbrek, a depraved lunatic, was full of captive guests he kept as slaves and worse. Just another sign of the sheer disgrace of the Southern Isles. How could anyone have expected that Hans to be any different than the people he was supposed to govern?

"Then they killed her. Our Queen is truly dead, now."

"Sir, I don't think..." Solas was a fine soldier, but sometimes he did draw conclusions incorrectly. Kipplevost was an incredibly busy town, finding a single person in one day was difficult.

"We don't have time for that. The regular army could find us any day now. We need to secure this site if we're going to launch our attack?"

"Attack? We haven't finished scouting the garrison yet."

"We have the element of surprise on our side. And with this...insult of our Queen, we surely just can't sit on this. The honor of Arendelle is at stake. Recall your troops, we'll lead a night raid. Tonight."

_Night raid. _Valid tactic, especially if the enemy was unsuspecting. But it would be very hard to move in the shallows of the river at night, and that would be the only way to attack the garrison.

But there was enough time to do it, and General Solas was in charge of the army, Finn was only here for intelligence.

He would have to leave it to the man. But, as Finn went back to the city to give the order, he couldn't help but think in the back of his mind, that maybe, just maybe, he should share this with the Princess Anna. She was less a warrior than he was, but she had the royal title and authority he lacked.

But...Anna's principle concern was her sister. And there would no way she'd be at that nearby garrison. Either the Queen was gone, as Solas thought, or she was still in the city, as Finn believed. Either way, this night raid will not affect the Queen.

Tomorrow, he and the Princess could go together and find the Queen. For now, he would tell her the truth, and ask her everything she knew, and coordinate his search efforts.

* * *

Mercifully, Hans was left to mostly his own devices for the morning and afternoon. Perhaps Lord Eddelbrek panicked more than Hans realized with that bush on fire. Or, more than likely, he had other atrocities to commit. And the guards, probably toadying as much as possible to their capricious lord, lest he bore of them and throw them over the cliffs like he did the other one.

One of them, however, led Hans into a room, and left him there. The door was locked from the outside, but that was the only thing really wrong with the room Hans was in. It was nicer than the prison back at Varisen, but Hans couldn't help but think that wasn't a good thing. He was being kept separate from the others, and there was no need for Eddelbrek to see to his comfort. Something was being prepared for him.

He'd have to be ready for it, then. Hard to guess what it could be, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

_The magic. _Hans's only means of defense were those fire powers. Come to think of it, ever since he got them a few days ago, not once had he tried to use those powers consciously: The tinderbox, the wooden building in the farming village, the barrels, and the rosebush; all were caused by rage, frustration, and things that burned easily.

_That won't do. I'd be just the same as Elsa, and all the problems she caused. _It was quiet outside, and that lock on the door was a very heavy one. It would take time, and make noise, to open it.

Hans grabbed a piece of straw from the bedding and pinched it beneath his fingers. He looked at it.

_Alright. 1...2...3...ignite! _As soon as he thought that, the straw burst into a small flame, consuming the bit of straw to ash and disappearing almost immediately. Not a surprise, there was nothing else left to burn. It was certainly a useful, if situational, weapon. Many things were flammable, but some things caught fire easier than others, as that battle with Richelle taught him.

_But is short bursts of flame really all it is? Elsa said she concentrated on what she wanted to make. _Hans grabbed another piece of straw, holding it by each end. He counted to three and ignited just one end.

_All right, ummm...fire. I want you burn as slowly as you can. _A tiny sliver at one end of the straw, almost like an ember, and plenty of smoke. But it was slow. Hans took in a deep breath through his nose.

_Slow. Slow. _The straw was burning very slowly, but he could feel it's warmth. The deep breaths he was taking made it go even slower.

So this was magic. It wasn't as bad as Elsa made it out to be. All it took was a little knowledge on how it worked and a calm head, two things Elsa lacked if she thought running into the mountains would solve her problems.

_What would she eat up there, anyway? _

"Well...now!" A woman's voice caused Hans to jump, and the rest of the straw went up in a blaze.

"Who was that?" Hans dropped into a defensive stance and looked around his room, and saw nothing.

He definitely heard someone, a woman, a very old woman. But there was definitely no one here. He checked the pile of straw and anywhere else someone might be hiding, and there was nothing.

_Was this..._Elsa was complaining earlier, back at Stormwrack Keep, to Anna about a woman's voice she kept hearing. Was that the same one? And how could that be, no one could have followed him here.

Hans watched some of his straw bed start to catch fire. He took a deep breath, and tried to slow the fire enough so that he could divide the bed, and at least have something relatively soft to sleep on.

* * *

As night began to fall, Elsa became uneasy. The ship she and Katrien was sailing on was beyond rickety. After what happened to her parents, ship travel never put her at ease, and this...ship, although raft might have been a better word, certainly wasn't putting her mind at ease.

She could have frozen the water, but Katrien knew where they were going, and steered the ship into a small cove near the island.

This was how people got here? It looked partially submerged.

"That's just a camouflage." Katrien must have noticed Anna staring. Instead, she walked towards the sheer cliff walls.

They were just as tall, if not taller, than the cliffs at Stormwrack Keep. Elsa could probably get in the same way, but Katrien clearly had her own solution, before Elsa entered the picture.

"It was right..." Katrien was feeling the walls near a patch of heavy overgrowth. Elsa squinted at it, but couldn't see anything odd.

"There!" Katrien's hand slipped into something, and Elsa could hear the sound of rock moving against rock, as one of the rocks started to shift in position, revealing a hole into blackness.

That was her ticket in, and Elsa moved inside quickly, with Katrien in quick pursuit.

"How did you find this?" Elsa asked as Katrien soaked a stick with a flask of oil she brought with her, then lit it aflame to create a torch.

"Smuggler who works for Eddelbrek, took a lot of convincing to get him to tell me about this. Tunnels like these are how that crazy fat coot gets outside, and brings all his goodies inside. He doesn't use them this late, so we can use them ourselves. Raid the place."

"We're looking for people."

"You are looking for people." Katrien returned. "I'm looking for profit. Don't take too long or I'll leave without you."

"I thought we were working together."

"Are you going to rob this place with me?" Elsa hesitated to answer the question.

"That's what I thought. Besides, I'm only taking a few things at a time. Last thing I need is that old guy finding out he's being robbed." Katrien made a torch for Elsa, and separated from her, with an instruction to meet back before dawn.

_That's plenty of time. _Elsa climbed up very steep staircases, and saw a few false panels in the wall. They must have been secret passages. Elsa wasn't sure which one to go into though, with her luck, she could end up right next to a guard.

Just as she rounded a corner, she noticed, from a bit of light shining through a crack, there was a chink in the wall. Curious, she peeked through it.

She was looking inside a rather spacious, but very plain, room, illuminated by the moonlight. There was a figure standing at the window, a man dressed in very little with an iron shackle clamping tightly into his neck.

_The boy said they seize people. Is this what they do to them? _Elsa was horrified. Clearly, discovered or not, these needed to be rescued.

As Elsa squinted, and her eyes adjusted to the moonlight, she saw that she knew this man.

She was definitely looking at Hans.


	21. A Luxurious Death

"Hans!" There didn't seem to be anyone else in that room with Hans, but Elsa didn't want to take any chances, and only raised her voice as little as she could.

"Go away!" He shouted dropped into a defensive stance. As if he'd use that fire magic of his. Elsa blew a quick blast of snow with her finger through the crack. Hopefully, it would both tell him where to look, and who was behind the wall.

"Elsa?" Hans walked towards the chink. "Oh...I thought you someone else."

"Who?" He was expecting someone else? It was hard to make out all of the details of his face in the moonlight, but his kept looking around, as if he expected he was being watched.

"How did you get in the walls?" Not something Elsa ever expected to have someone say to her. He ignored her other comment.

"A very long story, and not important right now. Where is Anna, is she with you?"

"No, and it's a very good thing she's not. Someone as...outspoken as her wouldn't survive a day here."

"Don't talk like that!" Elsa stomped her foot.

"Fine. Arguing now would be pointless. So if you can get in, you can get out, and I can follow." Hans, surprisingly, did not pick a fight with her. It was odd, but then she saw Hans swallow, and struggle to do so with that shackle around his neck.

Even for him, that was inhumane. Elsa could barely stand those shackles around her hands back in Arendelle. This was worse; Hans couldn't even turn his neck very far. To say nothing of all the clothes he didn't have. With his arms shackled very tightly, he probably couldn't have undressed himself.

"There are secret passages that lead down to the shore, but I don't know where they exist to inside this place. I've seen a few, but, I don't know the layout here."

"I guess that explains how Eddelbrek and his goon squad gets in and out of here. Unfortunately, unless one of those passages opens directly in here, I don't think I'll be of much help. My door is locked from the outside. I wouldn't be able to point you in the right direction or away from any guards. I mean, I could probably use that weird magic to burn that door down, but that would just bring every guard around." Hans looked away from the wall.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? You didn't come here to look for me, you thought Anna was here instead? You couldn't find her back in the city?"

"I looked everywhere. Could she be here, and you don't know about it." Elsa hugged her arms around her chest.

"I highly doubt it, I would have seen her today. It's more likely she got lost in the Kipplevost crowd, or was found by the city guards."

"The city guards?" Elsa leaned forward. "Wouldn't they turn her over to your brothers?"

"Probably." Hans shrugged his shoulders. "But Conrad is the only one who lives near here, and would come here. Besides, all of my brothers are back in Varisen for what was going to be my trial, and now, the mourning period for our father. It would take a day or two to get here."

"Conrad...he and Anna got along very well." Elsa remembered the stories, and how he danced with her at the festival.

"That doesn't surprise me, but he's my brother, true and true. I hope she doesn't think his jokes and pranks render him harmless, he's as dangerous as I am. But that's enough of a history lesson. Anna isn't here, but you are. Maybe your magic could..." Hans started to talk, but before he could, Elsa could hear the sound of something heavy and iron, and a lock turning nearby.

Hans heard it too, and his eyes drifted towards something out of sight.

"Someone's coming! Quick, get away from the wall before someone sees you!" Hans pushed himself away from the wall, and Elsa could hear the heavy door groaning as it opened. Quickly, she got out of sight, but she didn't go far.

"Well, Prince Hans. Look at you." Elsa then heard the sounds of violence, and a man, Hans, grunting in obvious pain.

"Look at the mighty Prince. Hey, remember when he used to sniff around Kipplevost and Lord Eddelbrek?" A man's voice Elsa did not know started to laugh.

"I was a teenager, old man. I'm barely older than our little Hans here. I heard when he tried, his big brother beat him until he cried." Another man started to mock him.

"He was just lucky our Lord Eddelbrek doesn't go after kids. Well, he didn't back then. And, lucky you, he wants you right now, so move it!" There was a sound of chains rattling, and footsteps. When Elsa looked back in the room, Hans was nowhere to be seen.

Whatever was going on, it couldn't be good. But, while it was easy to hear the clatter through the chink in the wall, the construction had held up elsewhere, and Elsa had no idea where to go now.

_What now? _She was not gifted in hiding and stealth like Katrien was. What could she do?

"Who are you?" Elsa jumped as she heard a woman's voice. Elsa turned to see a woman with a low-visored helmet and leather brandishing a sword at her.

"I need..." She sounded like she was about to call for assistance. Elsa raised her arms up in a panic, and a blast of ice streamed from her hands, striking the woman in the face. She collapsed in a heap.

_Uh-oh. _Just like that thief from last night, it didn't look like she was struck in the heart. Anna recovered from that kind of injury, even as a child.

_Hmmm..._Elsa took a closer look at the woman. She wasn't wearing armor like the city guards, or like the ones she just saw in Hans's room. Just a visored helmet that covered her eyes and very simple clothing, similar to Anna's riding leathers. Maybe she was leaving the area: Elsa imagined that wearing armor like those other guards on the ocean would make it rust easily, with the water nearby.

_I could...I could use that. _Elsa took the helmet off the unconscious woman, and the key ring, sword and leather pouch around her belt. Elsa didn't know how to use such a weapon, but she would need it: What guard didn't have a sword? The helmet was a little big on her, but it seemed to disguise most of her face. If she kept quiet and followed orders, she might be able to move unseen. She also switched clothes with the guard, her gown would draw far too much attention.

She went to the nearest secret passage, and easily opened it to find herself in a hallway, barely illuminated by torches. She couldn't hear anything that sounded like Hans. But at least now, she could look and see.

"You!" Elsa froze again when she heard the voice of an old man call in her direction, hoping the gloves and boots she had taken from the woman would disguise her ice powers enough. She turned on her heels to see an old, fat man, In very extravagant clothes, flanked by a much younger man, wearing armor and holding a torch.

"I thought you left already, Averie, it's almost dawn." The guard remarked. Really? Had she left very late, was it a long sea voyage, or had she spent so long in the passageways? He took a few steps closer, along with the old man. The second that the old man came up to her, he started smacking his lips and looking at her in a way that was exceedingly inappropriate.

"Who are you?" The guard drew her attention from the old man. "I don't recognize you." He reached his hand for his sword.

"I do." The old man went back to looking at her legs and her chest. Every instinct in Elsa's body told her to slap him, but by the way the old man dressed and spoke, he was clearly some kind of nobleman. Probably that Lord Eddelbrek, the one who owned this place, who kidnapped all those people. Doing anything to him would bring that guard to attack her even faster than he already was.

"My Lord?"

"She'll be joining me for my morning with that little Prince. Both of them..." And he smacked his lips again, and grabbed at her breasts.

"Follow me now, woman. You." He turned to the other guard. "Go back to your barracks and do not emerge for the rest of the day if you value your life." The old man waved off the other guard, whose face completely blanched white in the parts not hidden by his visor. He scampered off without another word.

The old man walked close, his hand drifted to her legs and rear as he walked. While Elsa knew she was not violent, she wanted nothing more than to freeze this man's heart as fast as she could. But...there was no way to do that quietly, and people she froze didn't freeze over immediately. He'd call for help, and she'd get overwhelmed long before the magic finished. Elsa took deep breaths. She promised she would save the little boy's mother and all the other people who were brought here against her will.

But one second around this old man made her want to bolt for the nearest hiding place.

* * *

Hans had been brought to a very luxurious bath chamber with mosaics over the floors and columns of plated gold, and left alone, with the door locked from the outside, just like in his quarters. Rose petals and other flowers scented the air, mixing delicately with the sea breeze. Bottles of oils lay around a large linen covered table right next to the waist-deep inlaid pool of water.

Hans doubted any of it was for him, or if it was, that perverted Lord Eddelbrek would be watching the whole time, like his lust plays in the gardens. The old man walked into the chamber, surrounded by a female guard, this one with a visored helmet around her head. As Hans squinted, he could see the helmet and clothes were too big for her lithe, rather lovely, frame. Female guards were usually much buffer.

"Place your sword and equipment over there." He ordered the guard. She hesitated, but then followed orders.

"To the bath with you now. Wash the stink of the rabble of the town from you." He ordered the woman next.

"Hans!" Eddelbrek turned to him. "Did your mother not teach you any manners? Oh, right, you killed her while you crawled your way from her womb." A sick smile spread across Eddelbrek's face. "Assist the lady to the bath."

Hans turned towards Eddelbrek as he spoke, and willed his fire magic to burn the man to ash. Nothing. Not even a bit of smoke.

_How? Corpses and bodies can burn. _Or was it some kind of limitation? Richelle never attacked him directly, she always immolated something else nearby, maybe it just wasn't possible. The old man reclined as Hans made his way over to her. He could hear the woman's heart pounding as he approached. This was one of his guards? The same people who drugged him, stripped him, and shackled him here, and who knows how many others before him?

As he came in close, the woman picked up her helmet partially, revealing her eyes and part of her hair. Hans bit his bottom lip as a small shock of silver fell from the helmet. Elsa? She ambushed a guard and went her in disguise.

That was a bold move, dangerous given she didn't know the layout of this place: She could get into a place she shouldn't be, or thousands of other problems that flitted through Hans's memory.

"Play along." He told her. "He won't recognize you, but he will kill us if you hesitate." He took Elsa's hand and led her to the bath. With a grimace, Elsa started to disrobe, handing all of her clothes to him. He put her clothes aside as she sat down in the water, shielding herself from view.

"To me, Hans. The oils. Massage me." The old man snapped his fingers and started to remove his clothes. Hans held his breath and swallowed, even though the motion of it made his neck shackle cut into his flesh. It was the only thing that could stop him from throwing up.

"Stand, my flower. Rise up to the sun." The old man lay on the linen covered table. Elsa, who was still shaking, followed the his instructions. Hans got a good look, and found it fairly nice, but found himself looking away rather quickly: Elsa was indeed very beautiful, but there was nothing at all arousing about the scene in front of him.

Hans had his own task, it seemed: Rubbing down Eddelbrek with oil.

_Oil...oil..._Hans started to think, he almost didn't notice the old man pawing at his crotch, tugging Hans's braies to his ankles. Hans tried to ignore it and emptied as many bottles of oil as he could all over the old man, and even a few, quietly, onto the ground beneath the table Eddelbrek was lying on.

Once he figured he'd emptied enough, he took a step back, and walked into the bath.

"My Lord!" He called over to Eddelbrek, to get his attention. He stirred from a reverie, and looked, with a large smile on his face at the sight of both of them in the water.

Hans smiled too, and then pointed towards the oil on the ground, and willed it to light. A cascade of flame stretched up from the ground, lighting it and the old man ablaze. Immediately following, Eddelbrek himself combusted into flame, the oil catching light.

Eddelbrek screamed and flailed about. Next to him, Elsa too, reacted in amazing shock. Hans just willed the flames to burn ever brighter.


	22. Problems One After Another

Hans's practice with the straw in his room taught him how to slow down his powers, but not how to quench them. But even after Eddelbrek stopped moving, Hans would not allow the fire to die until Elsa covered him in ice.

"That's enough!" Hans could barely hear her over his pounding heart and heavy panting. When he saw that, even when covered in ice, the man's corpse did not move, he slowly regained his composure.

"Are you satisfied?" Elsa seemed cross.

"I'm glad he's gone. You wanted him to live?" Hans scowled. "Your clothes are over there." He pointed towards the shelf he lay her clothes on, and averted his gaze as Elsa went to change. The old man's clothes were far too large for him, but he still had that key to unlock his shackles.

"I..." Elsa hesitated.

"Don't say we could have brought him to the magistrates. He bribed all of them ages ago. How do you think he's been able to do this longer than we've been alive? Despots and madmen only understand the power that comes with life and death. And now, I took it from him." Hans made sure to pre-empt any argument she may have put forth.

In the many folds of Eddelbrek's large vest, he found the key. While he would have loved to remove the constricting shackle around his neck, Hans couldn't tilt his head down enough to see where to stick the key. So he tried to get the key into the shackles on his hands, but the heavy weights on his wrists made it near impossible.

"Grrr!" Hans growled as he dropped the key, and the linen table he was standing near burst into flames again.

"Let me!" Elsa doused the flames, and bent down to pick the key up.

"It's hot." She flinched from it, wincing in pain. Hans's anger must have heated the metal. It didn't look like the key lost it's shape though. Good, the last thing he needed was the key to freedom no longer working.

"Careful if you use your ice powers, you don't want it to warp it."

_And it didn't burst into flames. Well, not everything burns, but...this curse makes fire. _The Witch of Dark Flames, both Richelle and the one who attacked Varisen years ago, made fire. She burned buildings, grass, people, although it seemed now they were killed by being around the flames. How...interesting that this happened.

Elsa tepidly grabbed the key and came in close.

"Hold still." She carefully inserted the key into the shackles on his wrists, and Hans held his breath as she turned it. It would be just his luck that this key wouldn't work, and he'd be stuck in shackles forever.

But it turned, he could feel it loosen on his wrist. A blast of cool air hit his skin, and, despite it only being a few days, the blast of air was probably the best thing Hans had ever felt. Elsa followed with the other shackle, and Hans gratefully let them clatter to the floor.

"You really...don't feel bad at all for killing him?" Elsa started to insert the key into the shackle on his neck.

"No. It was necessary. Are you reflecting on Harold again? Do not, it was much the same." Hans scowled. Eddelbrek would never have let Hans leave here alive; that man would have killed him the second the mood struck him, and Hans had no desire to be used and abused by him until that point.

He simply struck first, there was no shame in that. Elsa should be thanking him; Eddelbrek would have killed her as well.

_And believe me, the irony of me saving your life again is not lost on me. Nor is it amusing. _

"You always say that such things are necessary." Elsa didn't seem pleased, perhaps she didn't grasp the severity of the situation. Well, she did know about those secret passages, perhaps she figured she could have just escaped.

_They say ignorance is bliss. But not for a ruler. _Death in a place like this came too suddenly for a person to hide.

But now was not the time for an argument, even though Hans was certain he'd win one. They needed to get out of here, right away.

The sound of a key turning in the lock outside caused Hans to quickly grab the sword Elsa had brought in with her. Fully expecting another guard, Hans was taken aback to see another chained slave, his arms full of linens. When he saw the scene in the room, the slave's mouth gaped open.

"Remain silent of this!" Hans ordered.

"You did it!" The slave ignored him completely. "You killed him! Burned him up good! We're free!" At least the slave didn't claim witchcraft, he probably thought Hans used a torch or something to kill Eddelbrek.

"Silence!" He ordered the man, but the happy cheers did not stop.

"Prince Hans has saved us!" Others, drawn by the sound of the man's happy shouting, started to filter in the now opened door. Most faces were slaves, but there were a few guards mixed in the crowd.

"Everyone, back to your rooms while..." One of the guards was trying to act as the leader.

"No! Our Prince Hans has come to rescue us. He's not going to let you push us around like that anymore!" One of the slaves pushed one of the guards, to which the others responded by drawing their swords.

_These people...craving freedom such they lose all sense. _Hans knew he was fairly skilled with the sword, but there six guards and one of him: Terrible odds for anyone. The fire magic might have helped, but more than likely, it would cause the mob to panic and turn both slave and guard against him.

"Stand down. We are leaving here." Hans leveled his sword at the guards. Even despite the fact that Eddelbrek killed one of them on a whim, they wouldn't simply abandon him. Perhaps they thought the magistrates would find them culpable, or at least negligent. Hans certainly would, if he was deciding justice: Slavery and kidnapping were forbidden and these guards had the opportunity to put a stop to it, and didn't.

"You don't order us! You ain't no Prince anymore!" One of the guards took a step forward. "You tried to kill that Snow Queen and were gonna be killed fer it."

"As you can see, that clearly didn't happen. Obviously, I had help from someone just as powerful as the person who put me in that prison. Or I broke out on my own, and left a trail of blood in my wake. Either way, I killed your Lord Eddelbrek without breaking a sweat. How powerful do you think you are?" Hans lowered his voice. And he could see the guards start to shake in their boots.

They couldn't think about numbers. Cold corpses, or hot ones in this case, spoke ever louder, and clouded judgment.

* * *

Freeing the captives was an extremely gratifying thing. Elsa was pleased to turn the key in the lock, and watch the people smile. She wasn't wearing her helmet anymore, did these people know who she was? It was doubtful, these people seemed to have been held here for a long period of time, longer than the time she opened up the gates.

Elsa tried to find Katrien, in order to get a ship ready to get these people back to Kipplevost. But the thief had disappeared. She must have already taken off.

_So much for honor among thieves. _While Elsa knew she could freeze the water and walk across, Hans had warned her about using magic in public.

_But...Lord Eddelbrek didn't have magic like mine. He must have had a ship of some kind. _It just needed to be found. They didn't need to go very far, and someone here had to know how to sail it: Otherwise, how would anyone get here? Elsa doubted that disgusting Lord Eddelbrek did any of the work himself.

Hans had gone to find some clothes, and she found him dressed rather nicely in clothes that seemed to fit fairly well. One of the captives had given them to him. They belonged to Lord Eddelbrek's "previous favorite", whatever that meant, although Elsa didn't want to consider it.

"I saw the guards rushing away after I scared them. I'm willing to bet they took it. Cowards, afraid to take their punishment for their actions."

"I can't believe you managed to scare them." Elsa followed Hans as he started to walk towards what looked like the outdoors. Elsa found herself in a rather lovely garden, although some of the flowers looked trampled.

"What's so odd about that? Persuasion, intimidation, I learned that a long time ago. Words and emotions are powerful weapons, if you know the right ones to use at the right times."

_Don't remind me. _Elsa and especially Anna were taken in so quickly it was terrifying, and even a little heartbreaking, to see the monster behind the man. And even now, even harder to reconcile the monster with what she saw now, the man who saved her life, saved Anna's life, it just didn't seem to fit.

Had he changed? Or had his priorities? Or had Elsa changed? She didn't understand it, part of her didn't want to, but if she hid from terrifying things, it would only bring her ruin.

"It's any good rulers first line of attack. Or defense, even. Use the emotion that drives them, and makes them relate to you. Make them believe in your dream, make it their dream, and they will motivate themselves to work harder than ever for it. Even more than ordering them as their Prince." Hans's smile was disturbing.

"Just like you did with Anna. And then you left her to die." Elsa's eyes narrowed at him. He hadn't changed, that was for sure.

"Why do you take things so personally?" Instead of getting offended, Hans just looked annoyed. "It was just a stepping stone on the plan to power, it just happened to be you two. Lose two, gain thousands. It's just mathematics."

"Mathematics? With life and death?"

"If I wanted Arendelle destroyed, like you tried to do, I would just had the kingdom invaded. I took great pains to do what I did in the bloodless and clean way possible. I could no more govern a kingdom as a conquering tyrant than I could a kingdom...of...ashes." Hans's voice started to trail off, and his eyes became almost glassy as he took steps past Elsa and leaned on the balcony railing.

_What was he..._Elsa turned to face where he was looking, and the sight made her pause too.

The railing overlooked Kipplevost. Dawn had just passed so the entire breathaking view was bathed in a gentle orange light.

Enough to see the giant plumes of smoke and dust billowing from the ruins of what was, just yesterday, a prosperous port.


	23. A City of Ashes

Hans would have swam back to Kipplevost if Elsa hadn't made an ice bridge. He moved almost as fast as Anna did that that night she was climbing the snow pile. Before she hit Anna in the head.

Fortunately, years had honed her powers, although even with that, Hans moved ever faster.

Once she reached the town, Elsa gasped, put her hand over her face. All of the buildings were smoking, the few that were still standing. Most were smoking piles of rubble.

But even more than that, the bodies. Unmoving and mostly charred, bodies lay all over the town. Elsa looked down and saw blood everywhere. There was no one moving but the scavenger birds.

"Get away!" Hans ordered them, squeezing his fist and raising his arm in their direction as if he was going to use his fire magic. Nothing happened, so he charged the birds to cause them to run.

"Hello!" Hans called out to the smoking ruin. "Anyone! The danger is gone, you can come out! It is I, Hans, your Prince Hans has returned. Come out." The only sound that came back was the sound of the smoldering ruin.

"Come out." His voice was a lot softer when he repeated his words.

At once, Hans gazed left towards something moving.

"Hey! Hey!" Hans ran over towards a body. "Lad, hang on! Quick, Elsa, I need..."Hans trailed off, and Elsa walked over to him. The body was motionless as she approached. Instead, a small dog behind it barked happily at Hans, and trotted away among the carnage.

As Elsa looked down, her stomach wretched in disgust. This was a child, a boy not even thirteen years old. As Elsa looked around, she saw more dead bodies of all walks of life. Soldiers in armor, people in fine clothes, and people in rags. Men, women, children. Not a soul moved.

"Who...who could have done this?" Elsa didn't know any of these people, but she started to cry. This wasn't anything more than a slaughter.

Next to her, she could see Hans's lip trembling. He had said before he didn't care for wanton slaughter, Elsa thought it was just talk.

"Rest... rest gently in the keeping of the gods." Hans lowered his head and shut his eyes, saying a prayer over the fallen boy. Spirituality? From him? She didn't expect it, but...in the face of something like this, what else could be said. She was moved, too.

"Elsa, when did you leave to go to Nanai?" Hans's voice was cold, but not accusatory. He paced around, looking at the bodies of the slain.

"Just before nightfall, it was dark when I got there." So, whoever did this had to come at night. Hans continued to look at the bodies, and stopped next to the body of two soldiers in armor. Different types of armor. Hans took great interest in one of them.

"These people were dragged from their homes and killed." He studied the bodies carefully. "Come here." He ordered her sternly. Elsa took a few steps forward.

"Do you recognize this livery?" He asked her. Elsa really didn't want to look at the dead man, but she took a quick glance at the man's chest.

"This...this is from Arendelle." The mark of a snowflake, there was no mistaking it. This was a soldier from her nation. What was he doing here? Was he caught in this disaster? Why would he be wearing Arendelle's livery if he was traveling, that was only for a soldier on duty.

_Soldier...on...duty. _Elsa's face paled, and when she looked up at Hans, she saw him scowling angrily, his mouth in a knifelike thin slash across his face.

"Your soldiers massacred my people." His voice was disturbingly level. His emotions were always fake, so she remembered, he knew how to change his voice, but one in his eyes showed a savage seriousness.

"I...I don't know anything about this!" Elsa put up her hands defensively. Hans took a menacing step forward, and she retreated. Would she have to fight him? He didn't have his hand on his sword, but she could see the rubble he was standing next to begin to smoke harder with his rage. His brow started to furrow for a second, as he pondered her words.

"Yes." He took a step backwards. "This was an ordered assault, and you condemn people to misery by accident." Elsa was none too pleased at his insinuation, but thankful that the danger seems to have passed.

"Besides, you'd never order this, Anna was here in the city too." Hans turned around, but as he spoke, Elsa could hear his words cause her heart to race. Anna was here! She wasn't with Hans, and there was nowhere else she could be. The scene in front of her had distracted her until now.

"Anna, Anna! Anna!" Now Elsa started screaming, and, just as Hans, was greeted with the same silence.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Elsa realized this was something Hans had told her before. Back in Arendelle, where he said he killed her. Before he tried to run her through. It was different now, Hans was elsewhere, trying to gather what clues he could. And he had just said Anna was here, not that Elsa killed her.

Not that either of those made Elsa feel any better. After calling again, and receiving only silence, she fell to the ground and cried, just like last time.

* * *

"What...what is this!" When Anna awoke the next morning in the camp, she had expected to spend the day with that friendly spy Finn searching for Elsa, or Hans, since he might be easier to find, in the town of Kipplevost. They had a strategy planned, but it all went out the window when Anna awoke, and she could see the town of Kipplevost in ruins.

Immediately she found Finn and General Solas in the strategy tent.

"General!" Finn was shouting, stomping his foot. He seemed as displeased as Anna was. "You said we were making a night raid on the Maurevar Garrison!"

"No, I didn't." The general stroked his white beard and didn't seem at all upset. "I said I was making a night raid. I never said where."

"General! There were civilians in that town! What purpose did a night raid serve there?"

"Civilians who murdered our Queen, if you forget!"

"She is not dead!" Anna stepped into the tent, ready to burst if she did not speak. She slammed her hand on the table.

"Your Highness, she was nowhere to be found. Where do you expect her to be?" Solas turned the question on her.

"She had to be in town, we planned to search it for her today."

"Trust me, I had my guards look at all of the people when they went through the town, and she was still not found. Our Queen is gone."

"No, she isn't!" It was getting harder for Anna to deny it, though. Where could she have gone?

"I'll take my leave, Princess. We have an attack to plan on the Maurevar Garrison. I should arrange a transport to get you back home."

"I am not leaving! On order of your Princess, I demand you stop your attack. We are not murderers."

"Clearly, the Princess is in grief over losing her beloved sister. We all are, but we must move forward. Guards!" Solas didn't even look at her as he snapped his fingers, and two liveried guards entered the tent.

"Princess Anna is quite grief-stricken. Please keep a close eye on her and keep her in her tent until we can prepare a safe transport back to Arendelle. Take care of her, but don't let her get away. Gently now, she is our only monarch now."

"Yes sir." The guards saluted. "Your Highness, let us..."

"I order you to stand down!" Anna had to figure it out how to find Elsa, she couldn't afford to get stuck with these people.

"Come with me, your Highness." The two men grabbed her by either arm. All her kicking and screaming would not save her. She could only see the concerned face of Finn as she was dragged out of the general's tent.

* * *

Although the idea made Hans utterly sick to his stomach, Hans looked among the dead for signs of Anna, at Elsa's insistence. He threw up twice before he had to stop for a moment. All of those faces, contorted in masks of terror. Most were in bedclothes, understandable, since it was nighttime.

It looked like the Arendelle soldiers were only interested in slaughter, and saved the brutality for the buildings. Plunder was minimal, Hans could still see silver and gold among the buildings still mostly intact.

_Why? _They couldn't possibly have done this in revenge for what he did: He was already caught and about to be executed. Besides, if it was, there'd be more pillage and brutality, the passions of a wronged people. This might have been merciless, but it was ordered and methodical.

_As if that's something to be thankful for. Dead is dead. _Hans took a glance back towards Elsa, who, despite her nervousness, was assisting. At least she wasn't sitting around locked in her castle, she was participating in the things she asked for. If she'd done that from the beginning, a marriage to her might have been more than a political union. He might even have sought a different place to rule, Arendelle wouldn't have needed his governance.

_Maybe she'd turn out to rule like her father did. Well, before she came along. _Hans only knew the stories of her parents, he was far too young to socialize with rulers of the world at the time of their death. But the stories were true, and that was enough. How Anna and Elsa turned out with their guidance, well, Hans supposed parents could do awful things for the sake of their children. Even at the expense of their people.

Hans didn't see any ships or trade caravans come to Kipplevost while he was searching: The smoke must have sent them to other shores. He wasn't sure how long he looked, but there was no sign of Anna among the dead.

"I suppose...that's not a surprise. These people went from house to house. If they were your soldiers, they would have found Anna."

"Do you think they came here looking for her?"

"I doubt it. These soldiers would have had no reason to believe she was here. Depending on the amount of soldiers needed, and the distance, these people would have had to have moved while you were in Varisen, or even before that."

"Before I left Arendelle?"

"Yeah. Who has the authority in your country to move the military without your approval?" They couldn't fake the Queen's seal: Elsa showed no previous involvement in the country's military, any order bearing her name would be questioned as false.

"The generals."

"So whichever one is here is involved." Hans didn't know enough about Arendelle's military leaders: It had been low on his priorities.

"Your...Your Highness Elsa!" A man's voice jarred Hans's attention. Both he and Elsa looked up to see a man older than Hans, maybe in his thirties, walking over to them, with a large smile on his face. The sheer fact that he called Elsa "Your Highness", told him that, despite his unassuming clothes, he was from Arendelle.

One of those who butchered innocent people, even children, for seemingly no reason. No apologies were expected in war, but this killing, just like Eddelbrek's quest of mindless pleasure, was equally as pointless.

Hans stood between them, and drew his sword. When the man saw this, he squinted, and immediately scowled and drew his own sword.

"Assassin! You'll receive no mercy from me, Prince Hans!" So he was recognized. Good. All the better that he should go screaming to the gods knowing who sent him there.


	24. Measure of a Princess

Duels were an art best suited for Sebastian, all those fancy thrusts, and strikes, and such nonsense. All that mattered to Hans, was beating his opponent. However, that didn't mean wild and risky swings.

Despite Hans's fury at this man, who had to be involved with the slaughter of his people, it was the stranger who seemed more furious by far.

"Get away from my Queen, assassin!" He was quite insistent. Wonder what he thought of Elsa nearly killing her own sister.

_Probably will blow it off. I'm the regicide, since I'm not from there. _People fought stupid when they were angry, so Hans settled for defensive fighting. He leaned backward in his stance, didn't take wide, sweeping motions, and waited for his opponent to make the first move. The man thrust forward twice, killing blows aimed straight for Hans's heart. A sense of irony, perhaps, for Anna's frozen heart? Probably not. More than likely, because the chest was easier to hit than the head.

Hans parried to the right, took a step forward, and punched the man in the face. Hans hopped backwards in order to get enough distance to ably use his sword, but he recovered too quickly to deliver a killing blow.

"Both of you..." Hans could hear Elsa out in his ear, but he wasn't paying much attention to her. What would she do, tell that guy to stand down, on order of his Queen? She didn't order killing children, but her soldiers did it anyway.

_Whish! _Hans ducked under a thrust, and rolled to avoid the follow up. Guy certainly was nimble, and knew his way around a blade.

_Now! _Hans made a slash at the man's legs.

"Ergh!" He hit! Hans followed up with a kick to knock the man down.

He was exposed! Now, time to move in for...

A blast of ice spread between Hans and his fallen foe.

"What!" He growled at Elsa, who was taking steps to come between them.

"Stand down, Hans." She declared forcefully.

"I don't take orders from you, and those who slaughter my people..."

"I had nothing to do with this!" The man took a step back. While he kept his hand on his sword, he no longer was in a fighting stance, instead favoring his uninjured leg.

Elsa kept in between the two of them "Soldier, who are you? And what happened here in this town?"

"Your Highness, my name is Finnegan Carradine. I am a spy in your service. We were sent here by General Solas for reconnaissance, and to be prepared for further...treachery." He glared at Hans. This was a spy? Samuel, Hans's elder brother, was the spymaster of the Southern Isles, and this man wasn't anything like him. Far too emotional. But, Hans supposed that could help someone blend into a crowd.

"I guess slaughtering children isn't treacherous, is it?" Hans may have been unable to attack the man with Elsa in the way, but she couldn't silence him.

"Your-Your Highness, what are you doing with this madman?" Finnegan looked to the Queen.

"We were attempting to get back to Varisen. A sorceress attacked our ship on the way home, Hans was on the ship to counter any problems, and we came to an arrangement on the shore." Elsa took steps forward.

"I do not forgive what he has done, but for now, he is my ally, and I have precious few at the moment. What has happened to this city?"

"General...General Solas believed you dead, Majesty. He ordered a night raid, I believed it would be against the garrison. Princess Anna and I...were not consulted."

"Anna! She's with you?"

"Back at our camp, Your Majesty. General Solas has her under watch, claiming she is mad with grief." Finnegan nodded, and Hans could hear Elsa sigh in relief.

"We should get you back. This...wretch may have been a necessary ally from a shipwreck, but for now..."

"I am not leaving." Elsa interrupted. "I have seen already what this war is doing. There is no excuse for the slaughter of civilians, and I will stand by and allow more problems to result from inaction."

Hans could see Elsa turn slightly to face him.

"I made that mistake once already. Who truly knows how much suffering my inaction caused. I am ending this war, and all guilty parties, from the Isles, or Arendelle, will be held accountable. Take a message to my sister. Tell her I am well, and unharmed. Protect her with your life, even if those that threaten her comes from our shores."

"I...yes, Majesty. Do...take care." Finnegan clearly did not approve of his monarch's wishes, but he did follow them, and left out of the town.

"Do you trust him?" She shouldn't. Spies were, by design, traitors. Necessary ones, but they had to make nice with their enemies, learn their secrets, and pass those secrets along, knowing full well it could cause the deaths of friends, loved ones.

"Not everyone exists to betray you."

"Thinking that way is bound to get you killed."

"I learned from my mistakes, Hans. Could you say the same?" Of course he did, Elsa's words were hollow.

At least...he was pretty sure they were.

* * *

"Elsa's all right!" Anna knew she was right, but to hear it all the same was more than a little relieving. She wasn't certain what would happen when Finn went to the ruins of Kipplevost in order to figure out truly what happened, but hearing of Elsa's safety was exactly what she'd hoped for.

She was with Hans, and, rather than come back to the camp, she stayed with him.

_That...makes no sense. _Sure, Hans had been with her and not tried to kill her yet, but tried to do it once, and he just might again. But she couldn't stop Elsa from doing these things. Finn might have been able to shoo away the guards to talk to Anna alone, but they would be outside, and stop her from leaving.

"We should make our move, Your Highness." Finn remarked once he was certain they were alone. As sad as Anna was about what happened in Kipplevost, she couldn't change the past. General Solas would pay for what he did, but right now, the soldiers listened to him.

That was the problem, the soldiers. Despite all of her orders, the soldiers still followed his commands. If these soldiers would do as she asked, she could get everything she needed done.

_So, why won't they?_

Anna was about to pose the question to Finn, before she could see the tent flap open and General Solas stepped inside.

"Carradine. You did not report, and I find you speaking to the Princess over your superior officer? Is the report accurate, the Queen is travelling with her attempted assassin?"

"The Queen has made her wishes clear." Finn's face turned a little white.

"Our duty is to the safety of our Queen, even if she desires something different. And she is never safe with someone who has deigned to attempt her murder. You should have killed the vagrant and dragged her here by force."

"That is enough!" Anna stepped in front of General Solas and shoved him as hard as she could. He didn't even flinch.

"I will not have anymore of this from you, General. Now that my sister is found, we have no reason to stay here. Our troops will..."

"Our troops will not sacrifice the flow of battle for your caprice. Will you ask us to lay down our weapons and be ambushed on our way back home? That is what will happen if we retreat now, with an enemy at our backs. They will not allow us to leave without incident. This is a war, and I will not allow my soldiers to die for your whims." There was an eerie silence.

"Your soldiers? In the absence of the Queen, it is I who command our subjects, and they are citizens of Arendelle." She had tried this yesterday, and it didn't work.

"And you would ask them to blindly follow to their deaths? What a sacrifice for you to demand of them. My tactics will see us through this. You are no soldier, you're a girl with the good fortune to be born into power."

Anna matched the man's furious glare. It was true, she was simply born into power: She had no control over that part. And with the castle sealed up until recently, Elsa had spent her time conversing with paintings, suits of armor, and ultimately not accomplishing much.

But she couldn't admit that. She managed to set off until the wilderness and rescue Elsa, and that had come with it's own share of danger.

"Then I'll lead them."

"What?" Both Solas, and Finn, right next to her, stared at her.

"I will not let them get ambushed, but I will not allow them to go and do what you let them do to those people. I will assume command of your army, and lead it to a real victory. Finn, you'll help me plan our next move."

"Your...your Highness!" Finn was stuttering, indeed, Anna found the whole idea to probably be significantly crazier. Elsa wouldn't hurt her by choice, soldiers from the Southern Isles would not be so forgiving.

But Anna didn't have any other ideas. If she let General Solas do what he wanted, those soldiers, and anyone else living in that garrison, would be killed just like before.

Besides, judging from the little bit she did pick up from listening to the General and Finn talk, commanders weren't supposed to be on the front lines. All she would have to do is keep order among the ranks. There were more soldiers on her side than at that garrison. Forcing surrender was what Finn had hoped for, he had said. If she understood how it worked, she could make it happen, and make it do as she wished.

It was odd, that was what Hans had said about Elsa's magic. Was a battle truly so different?

Solas shrugged his shoulders. Part of Anna wondered if he was giving up too easily. But she couldn't think about that now. She had a battle to win, and a war to stop.


	25. The Attack at Dusk

"So, where should we go?" Elsa asked. Finnegan, the spy, had left already.

"Well, if Arendelle is here for war, they're going to attack Maurevar. Then, they'd wait for Varisen to send troops, crush them as they were disembarking near Kipplevost, and then, make their way towards the capital." Any larger cities would not be in the path of the capital, and, given the aquatic nature of the Isles, they could crush other troops at sea while laying siege to Varisen.

"Perhaps we could stop this before it gets started. Halt the advance at Maurevar? If there's too many troops there, he can't take it over, and he'll stop." General Solas...Elsa had met him before. He was hotheaded and destructive, but he wouldn't risk his people, and his own life, against an impossible foe.

"Well, we should make our way to Maurevar, or at least out of sight. I don't think we should linger around here anymore." Hans started to depart, and Elsa followed. It was mid-afternoon before the two of them made it within site of the garrison.

Elsa had never seen anything quite like it. Only a few banners and standards adorned it's walls, and it almost seemed menacing in the distance. Certainly not a comfortable place to live: Elsa doubted anyone lived there permanently.

Towards Kipplevost, she could see a dry river bed, and a small building nearby, where she saw a simple, but sturdy-looking, structure.

"That's a sluice gate. We get more rain here than you do in Arendelle. That whole river would be mostly underwater if we didn't have this." Hans caught her staring. It was true, Elsa had missed out on much.

"Is it used for irrigation?"

"Well, the dam further upstream makes a reservoir, and it's full now, but..." Hans trailed off, and his eyes kept darting back and forth between the dry river bed, the sluice gate, and the distant Maurevar Garrison. What could all three of those mean together? If the sluice gate held back water, it would release it if it were opened. Water flowed to the lowest point, so the river bed would fill up.

The garrison was on high ground, unless there was an awful lot of water, Elsa doubted it would be affected. What else could it be?

"We should get out of sight. We don't want to be here."

* * *

Natan could see movement out towards Kipplevost. The lowlands of the now-drained Maurevar River made that pretty easy. Having finished with the city itself, the soldiers would move on the garrison itself.

"So, they'll come." Tobias looked out with his spyglass.

"I welcome them." Natan brandished his axe. He loved weapons almost as much as Sebastian did, but while Sebastian preferred rigid formations and 'honorable combat', Natan preferred to let his axe fly at his foes.

_Of the two, I find you more tolerable, Natan. _Sebastian would never approve of Tobias's plans for this battle. He might have been considered the 'weakling', the 'wimp'. Books were always better than blades, and, while several of his brothers took to their studies just as fiercely, Tobias was the only one who disdained violence entirely.

He still didn't care for sword blows, but he was not naïve, nor did he did underestimate violence. There was just other forms of it to bring to a battlefield.

"Send a runner and a few soldiers to the sluice gate. Have him be on the lookout for our signal."

"Really? Why the sluice gate?" Hans looked at him quizzically. Tobias just shook his head. While his twin was incredibly brave on the battlefield and strong as an ox, he always lacked for imagination. Indeed, it was something many of his brothers lacked. Only Ferdinand, power-hungry though he was; Samuel, where intelligence was his job; or Alexander could match wits with him.

_Well, Hans too, I guess. _Though there was nothing to discuss with that one. Ever since that one killed their mother, Tobias had nothing he wanted to say to him. Where could that little usurper have gone? Oh well, he wouldn't join with Arendelle, and so, they'd have no one to see through the ambush plans. Just as good.

* * *

It was close to evening when the soldiers started to move. Determined to make sure the massacre at Kipplevost didn't happen again, Anna had herself outfitted with armor.

Even though the armor was light and flexible, it was still very uncomfortable, and heavy. How did the soldiers walk around all day carrying this on their backs?

Anna was then saddled onto a horse, and rode out in front with Finn and a few other soldiers. The land in front of her was a dry river bed, mostly flatland with no plants or grass growing. Across the landscape, she could see other soldiers, in tightly regimented groups, standing in front of the garrison on the hillside

Not too many of them, just like Finn had said. This was something he and Anna could handle. At her insistence, General Solas did not join in the battle, an arrangement he agreed to.

"Is that weird?" She had asked Finn.

"No." His voice was reassuring. "Generals don't wade out into the fray. Our goal is going to be simple. Just order the soldiers to attack the garrison. They don't have enough horses for a charge, so they'll try to engage us on the hillside and the river bed. It's not ideal, but we have more troops, and there are formations to use. Just stay back, Princess. Give the order to march, we know what to do."

"Yes. Everyone, we're here to take this garrison, not to kill everyone in sight. Once we're certain we won't be attacked on our way home, we can return home with my sister, our Queen." She left out what she'd do in response to Kipplevost. Finn had spared her the details, but, given how white his face turned, it was not pleasant.

She and Elsa could determine the punishment. Right now, if the soldiers heard that, they'd support General Solas in a heartbeat.

"March!" She ordered, and the troops, to her surprise, followed her command. They pushed past her, and marched in tight formation through the creek bed. Only Finn, and a few troops still on horseback, waited with her.

"I promised your sister I'd protect you." Finn's words made Anna smile. She turned to watch the soldiers walking through the river bed. And then Anna heard a strange sound. A low rumbling, splashing sound. Like the sound of a bunch of horses, or an avalanche, but neither of those things were here.

_And there was splashing sounds in it, too. Like it was a giant thing made of water. _What was made of water and was a very large thing? Waves? Couldn't be, they were too far from Kipplevost.

Anna turned her head towards the sound, just in time to see a large wave of water coming straight towards her soldiers, defenseless in the shallows.

* * *

Once Hans had seen Arendelle's soldiers from his vantage point, he knew he had to move to the sluice gate. He didn't know who was at the garrison, but considering how his country was determined to hold it rather then retreat, Hans was willing to bet one of his brothers was here. With Sebastian lost at sea, it would more than likely be Natan.

_And where Natan goes, Tobias follows. _The two were twins and did everything together, but they couldn't be more different. Natan was a brute, subtle as a brick, but incredible in battle: Hans was pretty sure only Sebastian could have beaten him in a straight fight, and even then, it would still be a toss-up. Tobias, though, was crafty. Once Hans saw the sluice gate, he knew it could be used to drown attackers in a flood attack. And if Hans could figure that out, Tobias certainly could. And he would certainly use the advantage.

It was dusk when Hans moved to the garrison. Elsa was moving quickly behind him, not saying anything. Once they reached the building with the sluice, Hans could see soldiers stationed outside.

_I don't have time to fight them. _Hans couldn't make out the features of the Arendelle commander, but their troops were ready to march. Was there some way he could get them away from their posts.

"Hans, hay!" Elsa tugged on his sleeve, and pointed to just inside the garrison. A pile of hay, probably forage for the horses to feed on, was lying just inside the gate.

It was a good plan, though, and Hans carefully lit it ablaze with his fire magic.

"Fire!" The guards took the bait, and started to move. It was strange to Hans, how...comfortable he was when it came to magic. In the end, it really was just a tool. Nothing to be afraid of: He already knew it couldn't hurt him.

There weren't many soldiers, it was easy to sneak into the building proper. Hans had never been here before, but it wasn't a large building, and controlling the gate would have to be done in an area close to the actual gate itself.

Hans entered the building and went up a flight of stairs. As he ascended, with Elsa in tow, he realized he wasn't alone.

"Well. Look who's here." Conrad wore the same smile he always did. "Looks like someone was smart enough to see through the flood plan. Ha, told you, Tobias. Didn't think it'd be you, though. Long time no see, Hans." Still dressed in the finery befitting a Prince, Conrad seemed out of place in the rough hewn surroundings.

"Conrad."

"So, broke out of prison, huh?" Conrad started to pace back and forth.

"Sebastian's orders."

"How you'd convince that stick-in-the-mud? Mm, doesn't matter, I guess. So you survived that ship going down? And what happened to Kipplevost? Heh, you always were like a cockroach." Conrad was still smiling, although he stood between Hans and the door to the sluice gate.

"I wasn't in Kipplevost. I was...staying...at Nanai when it happened." Mentioning the name of that place still made Hans's neck hurt, like when he had that collar around his neck.

"Really." Conrad's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. "Wow. You never did get along with Eddelbrek. You find out if the slave rumor was true?"

"True no longer. I burned Eddelbrek to death."

"Haha!" Conrad actually laughed. "That's funny, and if the rumor was actually true, he deserved it. So, I guess that explains what you've been up to, well, most of it. Why are you traveling with Queen Elsa?"

"Long story."

"I bet. Alliance of convenience and all, and the shipwreck thing. But hey, you're back among family now. How about we kill her, let her army drown, and call it a day." Conrad's words echoed off the walls.

"Kill?" It was Elsa who took a few steps back.

"Oh come on, Your Highness, you're not that naïve. We kill Arendelle's line, wipe out their army here, and little Hansy and I can head back to Varisen."

"Conrad." Hans rose his voice slightly. "I came here to prevent a massacre. I'm not looking for a war."

"Too late for that now." Conrad turned away. "And turnabout is fair play, so Rickard used to say. And if you don't want a war, let's just do it like I said. No monarch, no army, no war., or end of war. Poof! Besides, a flood attack is nice and quick. More than those monsters deserved."

"Conrad, you..."

"Lady Josephine was among the dead." Conrad interrupted. Hans halted. Josephine: Conrad's wife and the love of his life. It was what true love was supposed to look like, how Hans was able to understand what words and actions to woo Anna during the coronation. Clearly, incredibly effective.

"So was little Issac. Their bodies were going to be shipped to the Royal Tomb. I saw them before they left. They looked so afraid when they died. Did he cry for his daddy?" Hans could see tears in Conrad's eyes, and the pained looked on his face.

"Oh my..." Elsa pressed her hands to her chest.

"Don't pity me, snowback!" He snarled at her, using the slur for Arendelle's people.

"Queen Elsa was with me at Nanai. There is no way she ordered her soldiers to do that." Hans stepped forward.

"Oh, I believe it." Conrad shrugged. "I just don't care. She's the leader, she can take responsibility. That's what you were always on about, wasn't it, Hans? So come on, just like you planned it. Only this time, I'll help. You can even do the swordy part if you want. I mean, I'd like to, but as long as it's done, it's okay with me. We can go back together, and I'll back up any story you tell. You'll be released." Conrad kept his smile, only this time, it looked even more forced, like an invisible hand was pulling the corners upward.

Conrad's words were very believable, or maybe because Hans wanted to believe them. He'd be free? No execution, or anything. If he did kill Elsa, Hans would be seen as instrumental to the Southern Isles's plans. Natan would respect it, and while Tobias may not have liked it, he would have as well. With Alexander already working for him, he'd had enough allies to deal with Ferdinand.

But...But Elsa was innocent. What her soldiers did was inexcusable. Criminals and murderers deserved to pay. Elsa had no part in this, neither did Anna, and Conrad's plan would require her death just as much. If Hans executed her for this, he may as well have chosen a random woman on the streets of Varisen to pay for her crime. A slaughter akin to the one in Kipplevost. And Anna,and Elsa were not threats to his power. Not anymore, Arendelle would never welcome him as a ruler. Killing them would just make more war.

"No...that won't further my plans. And punishment is for the guilty, not for the random."

"Hmmm, I wasn't sure I could convince you...well, the gates are opened now. Soon, Arendelle and all their butchers were drown in a flood. But I won't let either of you, stop it. And I won't let you get away to challenge us further." Conrad reached to his belt, and pulled out two long daggers, one in each hand.

"Come on, then, Hans. If you want me to get out of your path, then kill me!" He drew himself into his battle stance.


	26. Princely Failures

Anna tried to focus as the waves of water rushed among her troops. With their heavy armor, much heavier than the boiled leather Anna had been given, they wouldn't have been able to swim. Fortunately, not all of the troops were swept away, and a few were knocked down, but were getting to their feet.

Anna was about to signal them to stop their advance and help the others, but before she could use the horn that Finn told her gave the signals, Anna could see the troops on the other side of the river, the Southern Isles's troops, advancing towards them.

"This isn't good." Finn looked over at the field of battle. "Our troops are in disarray, the Isles will march over us."

Anna tried to think. Even if the soldiers retreated, the enemy would continue advancing. There had to be a way to get them to back off. It was hard to see, since the sun was going down, but it looked like the soldiers were marching in rows, on the small rivulets of land not covered under seawater, nearly single-file.

In her time shut up in the castle, Anna had ready nearly every book the castle had. That included military texts, Anna had, quite literally, read everything. She remembered stories of archers launching arrows in volleys to defeat charging foes, and heroic cavalry charges thundering forward and routing the enemy.

She didn't have enough archers, but everyone here with her was on horses.

"Could we charge their ranks?" Anna asked. "So our people can get away?"

"Uhhh...well, some of that land looks shallow enough that the horses won't mind. The other soldiers won't walk on it in armor, though..."

"Okay!" Anna pulled out the sword her armor had come with. It was really heavy in her hand, and it didn't feel right.

_Well, I shouldn't get used to holding this. _If she was used to holding a sword, she would soon get used to using one. And that...she wasn't that type of person.

"Charge!" She pointed with it towards the people. And the soldiers, to her surprise, agreed. They thundered across the plains, Finn in hot pursuit. Anna marched behind them. While they dealt with battle, she could assist any soldier from the water that needed assistance. If their armor was full of water, that could only make it much harder to walk.

She could hear steel ringing against steel as she made her way into the shallows. She could see a soldier lugging himself from the river. She dismounted from her horse to help him.

"Welcome. Welcome to my battlefield." The deep voice of a man came from behind her. Anna turned around to see a man in full plate armor, hefting a large two-headed axe with both hands.

Anna pulled the shield from her back, and held it tightly by the center grip.

"So fearful in the face of your enemy? New to combat, are you?" He squinted, and Anna couldn't help but feel small in his presence.

"Hmmm...well, well. New indeed. My greetings, Princess Anna."

"P...Princess!" The water-logged soldier immediately stepped in between Anna and the man. Without hesitation, the axe-man hefted his weapon effortlessly. With one swing, the Arendelle soldier was stunned. The second swing caught him in the chest, and he went down. Anna could feel the blood spray her face.

"Please, stop. We don't need to fight." Anna protested.

"Do not dishonor your soldiers by bringing diplomacy here, Princess. It is not the place for it, and I haven't the patience to listen. Brothers have I lost, and families have they lost. Only the heavens can stay my wrath now. I am Natan, Prince of the Southern Isles! My axe has tasted the blood of many today, and still it thirsts for more. Warrior you are not, Princess, but if you seek a warrior's death, I shall oblige!" Natan hefted his axe.

_Oh no! _Anna wanted nothing more than to run, he was easily more dangerous than Elsa, but if she did, he'd just get her in the back.

She still had that sword, it was shorter than Hans's sword. She didn't want to use it, but didn't know what other choices she had. Natan swung his axe horizontally, and Anna jumped backwards away. He took a few menacing steps towards her. He was slower, she noticed, much slower than she was. Maybe she could run away, but then the rest of the soldiers here would face that axe.

She had to stop him. Somehow. That axe was big and scary, but only the sharp head part was dangerous. The rest of it was a pole, and since Natan was using both of his hands for the axe, he couldn't use them for anything else.

_No...free hands. _Anna dodged another blow, athough part of it hit her left arm, and came up with a plan. When Natan swung a third time, rather than dodging backward, she went forward, and he hit her with the wooden shaft instead. It hurt a little, her left arm was ringing, but he was startled for a second that she got in so close. Quickly, Anna took the little sword that was in her hand, and plunged it pointy-end first into Natan's wrist, which had less armor on it than the rest of him.

"Ergh!" Natan grunted with pain, and staggered backward. Anna grabbed hold of the axe shaft, and quickly forced the head of it into the ground. He'd have to heft it up if he wanted to use it again, and Anna would be right there to stab him again.

He looked into her eyes. They were almost exactly like Hans's, mostly yellow with some green. And they were just as cold as his were, when he left her to die. Did they ever sparkle, like when he was faking it?

"Princess Anna!" Finn's voice was coming from somewhere nearby. Natan took a step back.

"Well, you're either lucky, or more tenacious than I gave you credit for. Either way, I concede the engagement. Take pride, Princess. Precious few have come even as far as you did." Leaving the axe in the ground, Natan turned away, and walked back towards the garrison. Anna let him go, she had no desire to continue that battle. Her arm was starting to throb, and she was sure it was bleeding.

Finn came up to her, and helped her onto his horse, and they rode off the battlefield.

* * *

Conrad, despite his silly tendencies, was a decent fighter among the Princes. He was better than Harold, or Tobias_, _but he was not the best. He fought fast and tried to overwhelm his opponent, often getting them off guard. He tricked Samuel, goaded him into opening his guard up, a number of times with insults about his wife, some of which were actually rather funny, like the one about the goat and the iceberg.

Hans had actually never fought Conrad before: By the time Hans was good enough to fight with the sword, Conrad learned the invisibility game. And by the time that was over, Conrad was living with his wife and son away from the Palace. Did he even get the message that the game had ended?

Hans had his sword out immediately, and starting parrying Conrad's blows. Quick blow from the left followed with two jabs from his right.

"It's like we're dancing." Another swipe, this one caused a nick in Hans's forearm. A razor-thin line of blood oozed from the wound. Hans stepped to the right and delivered a fierce slash. Conrad had to block with both his daggers, and dropping his weight.

"Coming in close? Looking for a kiss?" Conrad was still teasing. A quick slice with Hans's blade opened Conrad up for an attack, but with only one sword and a bad angle, Hans had to settle for kicking his elder brother in the gut.

"Ooh. Nice." Conrad started to laugh, and Hans was pretty sure now the man was more insane than usual. He never did like pain. A few other slashes from Conrad's daggers. Most, Hans could parry. He came in close once, close enough for Hans to punch him to get away, but Conrad was able to see through the pain, enough to slash across Hans's chest. Not a deep enough wound to be fatal, it mostly just ruined Hans's shirt.

_He's trying, but...these wounds are all superficial. _If Conrad wanted to, he could have delivered more debilitating strikes than these.

Conrad was starting to get a little winded, and Hans stepped close, close to enough to smack Conrad across the face with the hilt of his sword. The elder brother stumbled, and Hans quickly slashed Conrad across his upper right arm, next to his shoulder.

"Good!" Conrad was cheering now through his ragged breaths, even weirder. He gripped his daggers tighter, and started pacing around in a circular motion. Hans matched the pacing, not letting Conrad get too close. Occasionally, Conrad would pull off a few motions, but they were bluffs, he never meant to attack.

Hans took a few quick moves, made a downward thrust to Conrad's legs.

"Hah!" Hans's hit went wide, and Conrad took the motion, but that was what Hans had hoped for. Hans pivoted on his heels and let Conrad thrust into nothing but air. He then brought his sword down on Conrad's forearms, cutting deep gashes into both of them.

"Agh!" Conrad might have been cheering earlier, but he couldn't hide his pain now. Hans threw a quick piercing shot at Conrad's right leg before drawing himself back into a defensive stance. Conrad took his time turning around to face him.

"No...no fair, Hans." He dropped one of his daggers, and shifted his weight to his uninjured leg.

"You got...you got real good at this." Conrad started laughing again, but he was crying too. From the pain?

"Whatever happened to the little boy? The little boy who was always chosen last? The little boy we tied to a tree and left out for the night."

"I learned a lot." Hans got out of his defensive stance as Conrad dropped his other dagger, and started swaying back and forth. "You didn't notice because I was invisible."

"Ha! Ha! Yeah, I guess I deserved that." Conrad fell down to his knees. "I guess it's fitting after all we put you through, that you're the one who finishes me. You got so strong, Hans. Maybe you can end this war. Just follow it through to the end, and take down anyone who tries to stop you, like me."

Conrad spread his arms wide.

"Finish it, then."

"Conrad..." Hans's hand started to tremble a bit.

"Josephine...I'm coming. We can be a family again in the heavens. Come on, Hans, don't hesitate." Conrad shut his eyes, and a smile spread across his face again. Hans took a step forward, and rose his sword.

His hand was shaking as he brought up the blade. Conrad...would be an obstacle. He could, and probably would, interfere. He couldn't keep his mouth shut, and loyalty was not something he prized. He'd blab any secret to anyone who was interested enough to simply ask for it.

And he could interfere, even accidentally. As Elsa would well know, accidents still caused problems. Even without all of it, Conrad wanted death, or at least, preferred it to life.

"Hans..." He saw Elsa out of the corner of his eye, and she was flinching, clearly upset about the whole thing. Did she understand their thoughts? Could she see another solution?

Hans brought the pommel of his blade on Conrad's face with all his force, enough to knock the man out. He collapsed to the floor in an unmoving, but breathing, heap. Hans picked up the daggers and put them in his belt. He'd need a new shirt, but the belt could stay.

"You...spared him?" Elsa was clearly confused about the whole thing. Part of Hans did think this...could cause a problem down the road. Maybe Conrad could be a help, heavens knew Hans would need allies. It couldn't be pity, Hans didn't believe in it.

"He isn't a threat to me." He wasn't, at least. He could be, but he wasn't right now. Perhaps, though, it didn't need to end with violence. As he was learning, Hans couldn't see all of the paths his ambitions would take him. He didn't see himself gaining fire magic, or getting kidnapped by Eddelbrek. If Elsa hadn't been there, he might never have gotten out. If he killed Conrad, future paths would close, and, although there was the potential of it becoming worse, having more options meant better paths could be chosen.


	27. A Cavalcade of Near Misses

"Where are we going now?" Elsa asked once they existed the sluice gate.

"Conrad won't stay out long. We need to get away from this place. You can go back to your troops's encampment. I bet if you freeze the water on that river, it will give them pause enough to realize it's you, so they don't attack you by accident. Or do something like that, it's getting dark and you don't want them to attack you by accident."

"But what will you do?" Hans proposed a sensible solution for herself, but there was no way he'd be safe in with them, even if she ordered it. Those soldiers were already willing to do things she disliked with that slaughter. What would they do to someone who actually tried to kill her before.

"I should move on to Hyensignor. It's not far from here, if I start now I can find an out of the way place to make camp and reach it by mid-morning tomorrow. Naval reinforcements will be coming from there. And, if Ferdinand is treating this seriously, it's where Marcus will be arriving." Hans grimaced as he spoke.

"Marcus? Who is that?" Judging by the way he carefully mentioned him, Marcus could be a great danger.

"Marcus is my older brother. He's between Samuel, the Imperial Spymaster, and Alexander, who you probably met already, in age, and he's the Admiral of our Imperial Navy. He was in Varisen for my trial, but he takes threats to the waterways very seriously, so he's probably back on the seas, he probably left around the time Tobias did. He's no lover of Weselton. If I can convince him of Weselton's involvement in this, like I believe, I should be able to get back to Varisen unnoticed, without being found out by Ferdinand or Tobias. From there, it would be simple enough to deal with Ferdinand and stop this from getting out of control."

"You think, after what happened in Kipplevost, that Marcus would be willing to listen?"

"Well, I'm not certain. There's always a risk, and Marcus and I never really got along. But...he is a lot more mature. He's almost forty, and like Alexander, he's been all over the world. He's dealt with pirates and Weselton...he's seen worse than Kipplevost. Besides, I don't know how many soldiers you had with that army, but that flood attack, and Natan, probably wasn't good for them. You might be able to take charge and get your soldiers to retreat back to Arendelle. If Anna was with your camp, you two can get back together and get out of here. With that threat gone, we can both focus on domestic matters."

"Is that wise?" Elsa didn't claim to understand the military, but certainly, the Southern Isles would want retribution for Kipplevost. If her forces were crippled, other Southern Isles soldiers would definitely attack them if it promised to be an easy victory.

"You do have people in your nation, like that General, who are manipulating this war. And, if that story about that assassination on your trip to Varisen is right, I doubt the general ordered something so...sloppy. We'll need to deal with it eventually, so why not now?"

Everywhere she went, it looked like Elsa was dealing with danger. She wasn't certain what she could accomplish with Hans and this Marcus; it probably would be better to leave the Southern Isles parts of this conspiracy to Hans, at least he knew who to talk to. At least in Arendelle, people would listen to her. And if that spy, Finnegan, knew the people of Arendelle well, he might be able to recognize the signet ring Elsa still had with her. The one from the assassin on the ship: It felt like ages ago that it happened.

"All right, I'll follow this plan for now." Elsa parted ways with Hans. She watched him turn around, and go in the other direction, soon disappearing into darkness. Her eyes lingered for a time. Did she expect him to attack her once her back was turned? She'd be stupid not to, he'd tried it once before and, despite their working together, it wasn't a matter of love, respect, or anything. Elsa didn't doubt he could betray her. He might not have attacked her when Conrad made the offer, but that could have been because Hans didn't trust Conrad to follow through: Harold attacked them with almost no provocation, Conrad left him tied to a tree at night, so that story went. And, the way he talked, there was no love lost between him and Marcus, the man he was about to meet. Blood relatives clearly didn't matter much, to him or any of the others.

_It must be tiring. _How could all thirteen of them turn out the same, villainous way? Surely one of them wasn't the type to constantly betray his own brother.

If there were, Hans would have gone to them already. And so would the others: Who wouldn't turn away an ally like that? How sad, to know that there was little no one he could rely on implicitly. Was that...was that the reason why he acted as he did? A determined will brought on by paranoia. Striking at shadows he was certain would strike at him sooner or later?

Possibly. Even if it was, that was no excuse.

* * *

Hans picked up his pace. He'd been up since before dawn, and his steps were starting to get sluggish. Those arm and chest injuries from the fight with Conrad weren't helping either, but making camp here had the real risk of getting him caught. Besides, while he could create a campfire with his fire magic, digging a firepit in the dark would be a very tiring prospect. Once Conrad returned to Tobias, naturally, he would learn of Hans's return. And Tobias would move against him.

Not that Hans blamed him: Sebastian and Alexander made the plan to involve Hans, and Tobias would view it as a threat since it was unknown. Assume hostility for unknown plans, that was the best course of action.

Hans marched for perhaps an hour, hard to tell at night. As he started to rest, he could see a campfire not too far off from the woods.

His stomach started to rumble, and Hans realized he hadn't eaten all day. He was distracted all morning with Kipplevost, and this battle with Conrad.

He couldn't find any edible roots or something to hunt now, it was dark out. Hans made sure his hands were near the his sword, but he walked towards the camp.

"Who's there?" They had a watchman, it seemed.

"Just a traveler." Hans stepped closer to the firelight. He kept his hand near his sword, but did not draw it.

"Stay away, we have no...Prince Hans?" The watchman stepped back. He had a hand on his sword before, but he quickly put it away.

"Prince Hans?" Another person in the camp, a woman, stood up at the campfire.

"Yes." Hans didn't recognize either of them, even by the glow of the firelight. "Have we met?" It was possible they simply knew his face, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Prince Hans, you saved us from Lord Eddelbrek in Nanai just this morning." The woman remarked. Squinting, Hans still couldn't recognize her. There were a number of people freed from that place, and Hans didn't undo the shackles of all of them.

"I'm sorry, a lot has happened today and it's taken up much of my recent memory."

"You're...you're bleeding!" The woman was shocked as Hans sat down next to her.

"Oh, yeah...It's mostly stopped by now, don't worry too much about it." Hans accepted her offer of a clean shirt and some dried fruit and meat. Standard traveling rations, but they tasted heavenly.

"So, the few of you are farmers from Varisen, and you gathered up enough supplies to get back home." Seven people in this group, including the watchman. The other six sat around the fire with him, smiling openly, eager to tell him their stories when he asked for it.

"And then some." The eldest woman smiled. "I was stuck on that island for four years, Your Highness, I'm sure my husband's moved on. It's probably the same for everyone else, so we need to start our own lives. Fortunately, there was a cart and horse, but loading it up and getting it on a boat took all day."

"A good thing. There was a battle here today, you missed it. I'm headed to Hyensignor, we can diverge there. I can probably arrange for a ship, if you'd prefer that." Hans looked around the fire and saw everyone smiling at him.

"No, Your Highness, you saved us from Nanai, that's more than any of us could ask of a Prince." One of the men interrupted.

_These people...they were on that island for a long time. _They probably didn't know anything about Arendelle. Who would tell them gossip? All the civilians of Kipplevost were dead. To them, he was simply a royal Prince, one who helped the people because they needed help, not because of their estate.

Exactly...what he always wanted. Eddelbrek was one of a kind among the nobles, but there were others, with other less severe, but no less despicable problems. At least he knew, through wit and a little magic, it was possible.

"I think we should sleep. I can barely stand, but, I can take last watch, if you prefer."

"Not at all, Prince Hans. We could never ask that of you. Rest well." He was offered the most comfortable place to sleep. While the pretense was annoying, Hans didn't fight it. He was too tired to, and these people were the type to think they failed if he complained that he was being treated too kindly.

Hans curled up into a dreamless, blissful sleep.

* * *

"Princess." Anna was having her arm looked at by a physician. Anna's arm hurt like any other, but the physician told her that was good.

"Nothing broken. It will heal." That was good to know. Once she had left, Finn came into the tent.

"General Solas is seething at this attack. It has harmed our forces greatly, and Prince Natan has killed many."

_Natan. _That was the man with the giant axe. One of Hans's brothers. Her arm throbbed as she thought of him. She managed to beat him, but the other soldiers weren't so lucky. Why? Maybe they just didn't have the time and ability she did. And then there was that flood. That certainly couldn't have made maneuvering easy.

Thinking about so much death was making her shiver.

"We didn't win this battle, and we're in a bad place. Fortunately, they don't have the troops to attack us, and their reinforcements haven't arrived yet. That'll change shortly, I think." Finn's frown was very deep as he spoke.

"We can't stop them from that, can we?"

"No." Finn sighed. "But we can get ready to move at a moment's notice. We're going to move tonight back towards Arendelle. It'll be impossible for them to attack us in the mountains. But , I think I know what I would like you to do next, Princess. I want you to ride all night to Hyensignor, you'll get there in the dead of night. I just want you to keep apprised of everything going on, pay close attention to detail. I'll be along in a few days."

Anna wasn't so certain of this plan: To start with, she had no idea what she should be keeping an eye on. Soldiers? Would they be so obvious? Looking for others of Hans's brothers? She saw most of them in the palace, but only was introduced formally to a few.

"Trust me, Princess." It was as if Finn could read her mind. "If your sister is with Prince Hans, and not working with his brothers, that is where he will be going as well. We don't want the Southern Isles to make a move without us knowing, and I need my most knowledgeable hands here."

Finn walked Anna to her horse, and gave her the directions to this town. Anna wasn't sure what she wanted to say, it felt like he was leaving her forever.

_Don't be silly, Anna. That only happens in fairy tales. _Anna started to ride off, past the now flooded river. After some time of riding, Anna realized that, if she did run into one of Hans's brothers, he would recognize her.

She wanted to turn around and head back. But it was too dark, and she had no idea how to get back. Was Finn just trying to get her away? Was he putting her in danger too?


End file.
